Tia's Story: The Final Book
by bowmaiden
Summary: In the epic finale to her story, Tia and her comrades battle the mysterious figure of John Locke in an attempt to save the Island, guided by none other than Jacob. And in flashsideways, Tia is reunited with Boone, but will she be able to remember him? And what about everyone else scattered around LA? Enjoy Tia's last journey through the Island that changed her life forever.
1. Flashsideways: LA X

"I've been waiting here for twenty minutes," I tell the woman at the service desk. "I just need my bag. It's a simple, black suitcase with a gold trim around the zipper."

"Ma'me, if your bag was on the plane, it will come through baggage claim like everyone elses'." She assures me.

"Listen, lady," I say, getting pissed off at this point. "I need my bag. I have a meeting in twenty minutes and I have to get all the way across town."

A voice from behind startles me. "Did you say black with gold trim?" I turn around and a young man stares at me, holding identical suitcases in his hand.

"Oh my gosh," I exclaim. "Did you grab my bag out of claim?"

"Yeah, I wasn't sure which one was mine. Neither had a tag," he says. I get a good look at him. His brown hair falls over his forehead, right above the most dazzling shade of blue eyes I have ever seen. I"m about to reach for the one in his left hand, when he hands me the one in the right. "I think this one is yours," he says.

"Thanks."

I start to walk away, but he calls after me. "Do you live in Los Angeles?"

I turn around a face him again. "No. Sacramento," I say.

"Too bad. Hey, I hate to bother you again, but do you have a pen?"

"A pen?" I ask. I have the weirdest sense of déjà vu.

"Yeah, a pen. To write with?"

I reach into my pocket and hand him the pen. He writes something on the edge of a safety pamphlet from the plane. He hands it and the pen to me. "My name's Boone," he says, pulling the lever of his suitcase out of its spot. "Just in case you're ever back in LA."

He walks away and I stare at the back of his brown jacket dumbfounded. What the hell was that?


	2. The Temple

Everything hurts. That's the first thing I notice. I open my eyes and can't see anything until they adjust to the dark of night. I appear to be laying on a branch. I make to move it, but the shuffling of the leaves under me make no sound.

"Gah!" I exclaim, but the sound is muffled. I rub my ears and they start to ring, which I'm pretty sure is a good sign. I stand, but almost lose my balance from a head rush. By now my eyes have adjusted and I take in my surroundings.

I'm still on the Island, except, now it's nighttime, the trees creating a canopy above me. There's a wall of rocks on my left that looks familiar. I know where I am.

I walk slowly towards my destination, and my hearing gets better with every step, the sound of leaves and twigs below my feet making their way up to my ears. It's so dark that I almost lose my bearings. I haven't been here in three years.

There's a giant sinkhole in the ground, the result of John Locke's decision to blow up the hatch. This isn't what the construction site looked like.

"They built it?" I hear to my side. Jack and Kate are together and Miles is off to the side of them.

"Yeah. They built it," Kate confirms for Jack, who looks around the sinkhole dejectedly. But not for long because…

Whack! Sawyer's foot collides with Jack's already bruised face, sending him into the sinkhole.

"Sawyer!" Kate yells. I run down to help. She climbs after Jack, but I go after Sawyer. I'm too late though, because he climbs into the hole after Jack, ready for another punch.

"You were wrong!" he yells. "That's the damn Swan hatch! Blown up just like we left it before we started jumping through time! You said we could stop it from ever getting built! That our plane would never crash on this Island!"

"Stop it!" I yell at him, catching up in the hole.

"This ain't LAX! You blew us right back where we started! Except Juliet's dead. She's dead, you son of a bitch, 'cause you were wrong."

"Sawyer," Jack manages to get out. "I'm sorry. I thought we were supposed to... I thought it would work."

"Well, it didn't!"

"The bomb must've gone off," Jack says, getting to his feet with the help of Kate.

"You think if an atom bomb went off, we'd still be standing here?!"

"I don't know."

"That's right! You don't! For once, you don't know!"

"Jack!" I hear from above. I look and Jin is standing there, looking frantic. "Sayid needs help."

"Where is he?" Jack asks.

"With Hurley at the van. Two minutes away. He's still bleeding. We don't know what to do."

"So what do you say, doc? Got another great idea to save Sayid? Maybe there's a nuke laying around."

"Hey, shut up!" Kate yells. I follow her gaze to the deep hole covered with debris.

"Help!" a muffled voice shouts from inside. Holy crap.

"Juliet!" Sawyer calls, running to the debris to start moving it. Everyone moves to help him.

"James?" Juliet calls.

"Oh, my God," Kate exclaims.

"Juliet!"

We continue to move the metal out of the way, but eventually we reach one that's too heavy to move, even with six people. "Hang on, Juliet! We're coming!" Sawyer calls.

"Jin! Flashlight!" Jack says, grabbing it and shining it into the hole.

"If we can move this beam, I think I can get down there," Sawyer says, still trying to move it. "It's too heavy. We need something to pull it. Jin! The van. There's chains in it. Go get 'em!"

Jin takes off, back to Sayid and Hurley. We all stand there, waiting with bated breath, hoping that Juliet is okay. I know I don't know her well. I really didn't even like her. But everything she did to help us get off the Island. Everything she did to help us keep cover at DHARMA. She's a good person. She doesn't deserve this.

It takes Jin about three minutes and we hear the roar of the van's engine. "I'll get the chain," Jack says, running up the slope to ground level. Miles and Kate follow to help.

Sawyer can't keep still. "Juliet!" he calls, goin back to tugging on the beam.

"Stop it!" I tell him, grabbing his arm and pulling him off. "Stop, Sawyer! The van is here, the chains are coming."

"She ain't makin' any more noises."

"Sawyer, she's a doctor. She's probably injured and needs to save her strength."

"Juliet!" he calls into the hole, but again, there's no response. Sawyer turns to me, his face holding the most pained look I've ever seen. "If she dies, I'll kill him." He says to me. And I have no doubt that he will.

The chain makes its way down to us and Sawyer and I wrap it around the beam.

"Okay Jin!" Sawyer calls. "We're good down here! Hit it!"

We all stand back as the van struggles to pull out the beam, but it eventually breaks. "Gimme the flashlight." Sawyer says, grabbing out of Kate's hand and heading into the hole, calling Juliet's name.

"Tia, I need your help," Jack says, breaking my gaze from the hole. I turn around and he's headed back up the side to the van. Sayid! I completely forgot!

Jack helps me out. Sayid is in the back of the van, blood pouring from the bandages around his gunshot wound. "Jack, I can't help him," I say, worried about the color his skin is turning.

"Even if I could get the bullet out, bleeding won't stop, there's nothing I can do for him," Jack admits, defeated.

"There's somethin' I can do," Hurley says. "There's a temple, if we can get Sayid there we can save him."

"And you know this how?" Miles asks.

"This guy Jacob told me just before we got here." At the name, my head jerks up, remembering the conversation I had with Richard. The one where he told me about the man who gave him the gift to never age.

"Who's Jacob?" Jack asks.

"Does it matter? Can you fix Sayid, Tia?" Hurley asks me.

"No."

"What about you Jack?"

Jack shakes his head.

"Then you're gonna have to let me do it."

* * *

We get ready to leave as the sun comes up. Hurley instructed Jin to take up to the Temple, whatever that is. Hurley grabs his guitar case out of the van. "Are we gonna sing Kum Ba Yah on the way?" Miles asks.

"It's not a guitar man."

"Then what is it?" But Hurley ignores the question, making a cot for Sayid in the back.

"Hey Miles, you mind hangin' back?" Sawyer calls to him. He's picking up two of the shovels we ditched. I guess he's gonna bury Juliet.

"You got it boss."

I grab the stretcher from the back of the van. Jin is the only one who knows the way to the Temple and se says there's too many trees to take the van.

"I'll make sure to leave a trail so you can follow us," Kate says to Sawyer.

"I ain't followin' nobody Kate." I sneak a peek at her and I can tell she's hurt by his bitterness. I can't blame him. He just lost Juliet. And frankly, I don't think Kate has a right to be so concerned.

"You guys ready?" Hurley calls to us.

"Whenever you are," Jack says, settling and unconscious Sayid into the cot. He and Jin pick up the handles and we head into the jungle.

* * *

"That's a big wall," Hurley states at our arrival. He's right. The giant wall is too high to be climbed and it's too flat to get a good footing anyway. There are paintings on it, just like in that room Eloise and Richard took us to underground.

"How're we gonna get him over the top?" Jack says, eyeing the wall's height.

Hurley walks closer. "We're not, we're bringing him in through here." There's a rather large hole in the bottom of the wall leading into a dark cave. Kate, Hurley and I go first followed with some difficulty by Jack, Sayid, and Jin.

Hurley shines a light on a skeleton sitting off to the side. Kate grabs what I assume is the skeleton's backpack and shakes out the contents.

"Who brings a book into a cave? And why is his arm missing?" Hurley asks. And he's right. The arm of that skeleton is missing.

Suddenly the room is completely lit as Kate has found a torch. Jin sets down Sayid for a moment and comes closer. "It was ripped off when he was attacked by the black smoke," he clarifies.

"Well, this is gonna be awesome," Hurley says. Screw him. This was his idea.

We walk deeper into the cave. No one talks until Jack grabs Kate's arm. "Watch your step," he says. There's a giant hole leading down somewhere I can't see. There's a small bit of ledge at the side of the hole and I worry about getting Sayid across, but eventually and with difficulty we all avoid the hole.

I'm the last to cross and when I get there, Jack asks, "Where's Kate?"

"She was right over there," Hurley says, pointing ahead with the hand not holding the guitar case.

"She was the first to cross," I note, thinking she may have just gone on ahead.

Jack starts calling her name, walking deeper into the tunnel. All of the light is gone, but I hear Hurley breathing beside me.

Then it's gone. Drowned out by loud whispers. Whispers that I haven't heard in a long time. I feel a sharp blow to the back of my head and the next thing I see is black.

* * *

I wake up surrounded by a group of people I assume are the Others. Kate, Hurley, and Jin are there with Sayid, still on his stretcher supported by two of them. The Others all have guns.

Jack is thrusted out a door to the side, which I assume is the entrance to the cave. He looks like he just regained consciousness. Without speaking, an Other pokes me in the back with his gun and I follow them through a grouping of trees and look out onto a giant…well Temple. It looks Aztec and is surrounded by people dressed in dirty clothing.

"Guess we found the temple," Hurley says.

They walk us to the foot of the Temple where there's a door. Four or five men shuffle out of it, all carrying guns. Two of them are not. An Asian man with long hair and a taller Caucasian with round glasses. The Asian says something in his language. Japanese maybe? "Who are you?" The tall man with glasses translates.

"I know who they are," an Australian accent says. It's a woman. She looks familiar, but I can't quite place it. "They were on the first plane. Oceanic 815 along with me." Oh, she was the stewardess on the plane.

Asian says something in Japanese again, this time speaking to Glasses, who's face turns confused. "You sure?" he asks. Asian just walks away.

"Shoot 'em," Glasses says to the Others, who all raise their guns and point at us, loading the chambers.

We all protest, but Hurley's voice is the loudest of all. "Jacob sent us!"

Asian is back, getting all up in Hurley's face. "What'd you just say?" Glasses translates.

"I said, Jacob sent us. He said, you would help our friend" Hurley explains, pointing to Sayid.

Asian says something else. "He wants you to prove it," Glasses says.

"Uh..." Hurley hesitates. Asian shouts at the Others, who all cock their guns again, but Hurley shouts, "He gave me that guitar case!"

"Did you look inside it?" Glasses translates.

"Maybe," Hurley admits.

Asian walks over to the case, carried by an Other. He sets it on the ground, opening it and revealing one of those Egyptian things. What do they call them? An Ankh. Asian picks it up out of the case and smashes it against his knee, breaking the Ankh in two. "Dude!" Hurley shouts.

Inside the Ankh is a piece of paper that Asian reads. When he finishes, he asks Glasses something, who turns back to us. "What are your names?"

"Hugo. Hugo Reyes," Hurley says immediately. He turns to us. "Tell him."

"Jin Soo-Kwon."

"Kate Austen."

"Tia Samuels"

"Jack Shephard."

"What about him?" Glasses asks, pointing to Sayid.

"Sayid Jarrah," Jack says.

Asian starts giving out orders. "Pick him up," Glasses says, pointing to Sayid. "Get him to the spring."

"Hey, excuse me," Hurley says, stopping the commotion. "I carried that case across the ocean and like, through time, so I wanna know what that paper says."

"The paper said that if your friend there dies, we're all in a lot of trouble," Glasses says. He starts leading us into the Temple. Inside, there's a pool of dirty water, like a spring, constantly splashing. "The water isn't clear," Glasses says. "What happened?"

Asian says something in response, then goes to the edge of the pool and pulls out a knife. He slashes his hand, creating a small cut, but his blood flows visibly. "What is he doing?" Kate asks.

"I don't know." Jack says.

Asian dips his hand into the water and pulls it out, but it's unchanged, still cut and bleeding. He walks back over to us and points at Sayid, asking us a question. Glasses clarifies. "Who did this to him?"

"My fault," Jack says. "I didn't shoot him but it's my fault."

Asian explains the situation, all translated by glasses. "If we do this there are risks. You understand?"

"Do what you have to do," Jack says.

"Take off the coveralls, put him in," Glasses translates as the Others strip Sayid of his DHARMA suit and put him in the water, head first as Asian turns over a large hourglass timer.

"What the hell are they doing?" I ask Glasses, but he ignores me.

"Can unconscious people hold their breath?" Hurley asks.

"No," Jack says. In the water, Sayid's body begins to twitch and convulse from lack of air. "He's awake, let him up," Jack shouts, but he's ignored just like me.

"What are they waiting for?" Jin shouts.

"That's enough!" Kate joins in.

Jack starts walking toward Asian. "I said, let him up!" he shouts, but this guy who seems to be in charge uses some kind of crazy martial arts that throws Jack on the ground.

Over at the pool, Sayid continues to twitch. "You're not saving him! You're drowning him!" Hurley shouts.

I look at the hourglass, which is almost empty as Sayid stops moving. "Your friend is dead." Glasses says.

The Others pull Sayid out of the pool and Jack runs up to him, checking his pulse. There must be nothing, because Jack starts chest compressions. "Jack," Kate says, running up to him. "Jack, stop, what are you doing?" But Jack continues trying mouth resuscitation. "Jack, he's dead." She grabs his arm, stopping him. "He's not coming back, stop it!"

* * *

"Thought you might like a little something to eat or drink," the stewardess from Oceanic asks us, standing with two children. "Zach, Emma," she instructs as they lay down a small pile of fruit. "Then take the rest to the people over there."

When the kids leave, I turn to the stewardess. "Who are those men? The Japanese guy and the tall one?" I ask. My throat is raw from crying. I may not have spent much time with Sayid these past few years, but he was my friend. There was once a time where I would have given my life for his. He was my partner.

"Dogen and his translator Lennon. Dogen runs the Temple," she answers before leaving.

"Just drop 'em in here," an Other to my right says. I look over as two big guys drop an unconscious Sawyer and a pissed-off Miles beside the pool.

I get up and run over to Miles. "Hey, what happened?" I ask.

"They jumped us in the jungle," he explains. "Jim took four of them out, before one of them hit him with a damn rock."

Kate moves over to check on Sawyer as the translator, Lennon comes out of a door and walks over to Hurley. "You, come with me."

"Come with you where?" Hurley asks, but Lennon just waves to the door.

We all sit in silence for a few minutes, Kate trying to wake up Sawyer. It takes about five minutes before commotion breaks out.

A bell starts sounding throughout the Temple. Dogen and Lennon come out of the door with Hurley behind them and the three run outside. Lennon is yelling instructions and what I think is a small firework goes off. We all just sit, waiting for someone to tell us what to do.

* * *

The commotion goes on for a few minutes before Hurley is back in the room with us. Kate manages to wake up Sawyer.

Lennon walks over to Jack. "You Shephard?" he asks.

"Yeah."

"We need to speak to you privately."

"If you've got something to say to me then say it," Jack says. "Otherwise just leave me alone."

"I don't think you're understanding me here, I'm asking politely, you either get up and come with us on your own, or I'll have you dragged out. Because we are going to have this conversation and it's not going to be here."

Jack stands up and walks in front of Lennon. "Is that right."

Jack is grabbed by some Others who hold him back. "Jack!" Hurley shouts, stopping the fight.

We all follow his gaze to Sayid, who lies on the ground and starts stirring. "Oh my god," Lennon exclaims.

I jump up from my spot and run over to where Hurley and Miles sit beside Sayid. I see his eyes open and look right at me. "What happened?" he asks.


	3. Flashsideways: A Stern Meeting

I managed to get a taxi after stuffing Boone's number in my purse. The car takes me to a tall building downtown.

Inside a stern woman sits at a desk. "Hello," I say, approaching. "My name is Tia Samuels. I have an appointment."

The woman types my name into the computer, then looks up and smiles. "You can have a seat over there," she says, pointing to a chair at the edge of the room.

I pull my suitcase over to the chair and take a seat, but it's pointless as the woman stops me right as my butt hits the cushion. "Mr. Widmore will see you now," she says.

I stand and walk through the door. His office is huge. Completely covered in mahogany wood with a large window looking out over downtown Los Angeles. He stands in front of his desk with another man, sharing a drink.

"Ah, Miss Samuels," Charles Widmore says to me, gesturing me forward. "I'm pleased to finial meet you."

"Likewise," I say awkwardly, walking forward keeping the suitcase in my hand.

"Can I get you a drink?" he offers.

The two men drink glasses filled of what I assume is that bottle of MacCutcheon whiskey. "No, thank you," I say.

"Desmond," Widmore says to the other man. "This is Donald's daughter. She's running the divisions of Samuels International in London and Sydney."

"Pleased to meet you," Desmond says in a Scottish accent, holding out his hand. I shake it as I stare at his face. There's something really familiar about him.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" I ask.

He chuckles. "That's the second time someone's asked me that today."

"Did you meet someone on the plane, Desmond?" Widmore asks, sitting in his desk chair.

"He thought he might've known me, but he didn't. Some man named Jack."

"Did you just fly in today?" I ask.

"He did," Widmore says. "From Sydney. It's a possibility you two could have been on the same plane."

"Oceanic 815?" I ask.

"The same."

"Maybe that's where I know you from," I say, but I don't think that's right. I point at the cair in front of Widmore's desk. "May I?"

"Absolutely. Desmond has to get going, though. He's a very important man."

Desmond downs the rest of his whiskey. "Nice to meet you, sister," he says. "Charles." He leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Now, Miss Samuels, you have some paperwork for me?" Widmore asks.

"Yes," I say, reaching down to unzip the suitcase. "Your transactions in Sydney went through easily."

"I had no doubts. I spoke with your father before you got here. You really are his greatest joy. He seemed to suggest the company couldn't exist without you."

"I highly doubt that, sir," I say, managing to get the case unzipped. At the contents inside, my heart almost stops.

There's some tee-shirts, a pair of sneakers, a button-down shirt and a pair of slacks. A picture of the man from the airport, Boone is on top of the messy pile of clothes, with his standing next to a beautiful blonde woman.

Lucky for me, Widmore can't see what I have in the suitcase from this angle. I look up at him. "It seems my father puts too much faith in me," I say nervously. "I believe I left the papers in Sacramento. I really apologize, sir. I can have them faxed to you as soon as possible."

"I didn't want those papers faxed, Miss Samuels. That is why you are delivering them to me."

"I understand sir," I say, thoroughly embarrassed. The one opportunity I have to really impress my father, and I've screwed it up.

"I will need those papers by the end of tomorrow. My son is playing a concert in a few days and I have many people investing in its charity benefit."

"Yes sir. I will get them to you by tomorrow. I promise."

"You better, Miss Samuels," he says, his eyes changing from warm and welcoming to cold and scary.

I show myself out of the office and dig through my purse, grabbing my phone and the safety pamphlet with the number written on the edge. Mustering up my Angry Voice, I dial Boone's number.


	4. The Return of John Locke

"It worked?" Miles asks, confused. I can't blame him. I'm baffled. Sayid was dead. They drowned him. Jack checked his pulse.

Hurley runs over to Sayid, hugging him around the shoulders. "Dude! You're okay!"

"Hurley, let him breathe," I say, kneeling down.

"Miles, can you go get some water?" Jack asks.

"Yeah, on it."

"Sayid, hey, how you feeling?" Jack asks.

"A little light headed."

"Jack, what happened to me?" he asks.

"You died."

Sayid looks at me for conformation completely dumbfounded. I just nod my head. Yeah, he was dead. Jack, Hurley, and Jin help him stand.

"You should get some fresh air," I say. The guys follow my lead and walk Sayid out into the courtyard of the Temple. I notice that there are now blockades up against the wall and there's a circle of ash around the entire structure. This must have something to do with the alarms that went off.

"Easy," Jack says, helping Sayid onto a bench. Miles shows up with the water.

"Who are these people? What do they want?" Sayid asks, taking a drink from the canteen.

"It's the Others, dude," Hurley says. "They caught us again. I dunno, I think they are trying to protect us."

"Uh, as you can see, Hugo here has assumed the leadership position so that's pretty great," Miles says sarcastically.

"Shut up, Miles," I say, noticing something about Sayid.

"What?" he asks me.

I grab Sayid's tank and rollup the bottom. "Your gunshot. It's almost completely healed.

Jack inspects the wound with me. It's no longer gaping and bleeding. It's pink, almost scar tissue. "Thank you Jack," Sayid says.

"For what?"

"For saving my life."

I raise my eyebrows, about to set the record straight. Hurley saved Sayid. But before I can say anything, Dogen and Lennon burst out of the Temple, Dogen yelling instructions. "Mr. Jarrah, will you come with us, please?" Lennon asks.

"Come with you where?" Sayid asks.

"Inside. Nothing to worry about we just—,"

"I'm coming with him," Jack says.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lennon says. I find it weird, him being so polite. "We need to talk to him alone, just a few questions."

"You have a few questions? Well, so do we. Let's start with who are you? Why are you holding us here? You—,"

Jack is cut off as Dogen says something. "Once we've spoken to Mr. Jarrah," Lennon says. "We'll be more than happy to tell you everything you want to know."

Jack takes a step forward. "Something tells me that you're not going to be happy telling us anything."

Jack stares Dogen down. Dogen gives his men orders and two of them go after Jack, beating him. I see another go after Miles. "Hey!" I yell, going to help Jack, but a particularly big one grabs me and holds me back.

The next thing I know BANG! BANG! Two gunshots go off and Dogen calls off his goons. The source of the fire was Sawyer, stands with a rifle. He must have gotten it off one of the Others inside.

"Don't shoot! Lower your weapons!" Lennon yells. He starts walking towards Sawyer, but stops as the barrel points at his chest. "Please, you don't have to do this. We won't hurt your friend."

Sawyer looks at Sayid. "He ain't my friend. Do what you want with him and anybody else. But me, I'm walking out of here."

Kate walks forward, coming out of the Temple and Sawyer points it at her. "James," she says.

"I'm gone! You understand?" he yells.

Sawyer keeps the gun pointed at the group as he starts moving pieces of the blockade off of the wall. "Please," a voice says. I turn around and realize it came from Dogen. I knew he had to speak English because Lennon never translated anything back for him. Still it's weird hearing him speak anything other than Japanese. "You have to stay."

"No, I don't," Sawyer says, opening a wooden door. "Don't come after me," he says to Kate before disappearing, closing the door behind him.

As soon as it's shut, two Others grab Sayid and drag him into the Temple. Jack is still held back by two big ones. My guy brings me closer to him. "Hey! Hey! Where are they taking Sayid?" Jack yells.

"Hey!" A small man brandishing a pistol yells. "Calm down! Everybody calm down."

"Where'd Ford go?" Lennon asks Jack.

"What?"

"Ford, your friend who just ran outta here. Where did he go?"

"I don't know."

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

"He told me he wanted to kill me. You believe that?"

Kate walks up. "I can bring him back."

"You know where he went?" Lennon asks.

"No, but I can track him. Let me go. I will bring him back and I can make him stay."

"Kate," Jack says. "You sure you want to go out there alone with these people?"

"I'll go with her," Jin says.

"Me too," I volunteer. I need to get out of this place. Now that I'm back in 2007, I've got some business to attend to.

"It's very important that he get back here safely," Lennon says to Kate. "What makes you think he's going to listen to you?"

She stares him right in the eye. "I can be very convincing when I wanna be."

* * *

Kate, Jin, and I pack our bags. Two Others, one named Justin and a guy named Aldo, are accompanying us. Three outnumber two, so this is fine with me.

I'm not an idiot. Kate isn't going for Sawyer, not after he just told her not to. My best bet is that she's gonna look for Claire, like she told me she was gonna do back in the 70's. Jin is probably going to try and find Sun. That's my priority as well, but I've got one thing to do before I make that happen.

When my pack is ready, I run up to Miles. "Hey, can you do me a favor?" I ask.

"What?"

"Normally I'd be disinclined to ask anything from you, but I'm not really into trusting Jack right now, and we both know what happens when Hurley's in charge—"

"What do you want, Tia?" he asks.

"Keep an eye on Sayid. I don't like what's going on."

He chuckles. "You and me both."

* * *

Walking through the jungle with Justin and Aldo is not fun. But that doesn't stop Kate from being curious. "So why do you people want us to stay at the temple?"

"We're protecting you," Aldo says.

"From what?"

"You've been on this island for a while, right? Ever see a big pillar of black smoke, makes a ticka ticka sound, looks pissed off?"

Kate and I exchange a look. He's talking about The Monster. "Yes," she says.

"We're protecting you from that."

"Do you know anything about another plane coming in?" Jin asks. "An Ajira flight."

"I'm sorry. Is this a press conference?" Aldo says sarcastically.

"I think he means the one that landed—,"

"Justin!" Aldo yells, cutting him off. "Shut up."

We continue walking, but come to a stop. I'm no tracker, but even I can tell there are now two trails of Sawyer boots. Aldo starts following one but Kate stops him. "No, no, no, that's a decoy trail. He went this way."

"And you're basing this on what?" he asks.

"Experience."

"Aldo, I think she's right," Justin says.

"Of course she is. After you, princess," he says, letting Kate and I pass. "So what's your strategy for bringing your boyfriend back? I hope you got one because he shot a guy on his way out. If he tries that on me, I'm gonna blow his head off."

Kate takes a drink from her canteen and keeps walking. I follow her, but Justin grabs my arm. "Watch it!" he says, pointing.

I follow his finger and see a trip wire on the ground. "Thank you," I say. Above us, there's a large net full of rocks hanging from a tree. "Looks like one of Rousseau's traps," I say.

"The French woman?" Justin asks. "She's been dead for years. This, this couldn't be one—,"

"Justin! Shut up!" Aldo yells

Kate walks up to him, shoving her canteen in his chest. "What was he gonna say?" she demands.

"You don't even remember me, do you?" Aldo says. "You don't recognize me? Well maybe this will jog you memory. Three years ago, you staged yourself a little prison break, and you did it by knocking the guard out with the butt of your rifle. That would be me."

Kate takes a swig from the canteen, and winks at me. I know what she's gonna do. I grab Jin and pull him out of the way as Kate knocks Aldo in the head, then tosses the canteen, tripping the wire and knocking out the Others. She grabs Aldo's pistol and Justin's rifle. I walk up and notice a glock in the butt of Aldo's pants. Dibs.

"What are you doing?" Jin asks us, confused.

"Escaping," Kate says, walking away.

"Wait. Where are you going?" Jin calls.

"Catching up with Sawyer," she says.

I turn around and start to sneak off, but Jin catches me. "What about you?" he asks.

"I'm going back to our old camp," I say. "There's something I need to do alone. But then I'm coming back to find you," I say to Jin. "Then we're gonna find Sun."

"Where did your plane land?" he asks us. Kate walks back to the group. "The Ajira plane that you two, Jack and Hurley came in on. Where did it land?"

"We don't know," I say. "We woke up where you found us."

"Sun was on that plane too and I have to find her," he says.

"You think they're gonna tell you?" Kate asks, angrily. "You think they care about you or about Sun or about any of us?"

"Who do you care about Kate?"

"Good luck, Jin," she says, turning back around and following Sawyer's trail.

"What are you doing at the old camp?" Jin asks.

"It's private," I say. "But it won't take long. It's early in the day. I can be back here by nightfall. Don't worry, Jin. We're gonna find Sun. You just have to trust me."

* * *

I make it about a mile and a half before needing a break. I drink the last couple of sips from my canteen, then bend down and refill it at a small creek. I look around. I can't believe how well I remember this place. The Temple is in what Danielle Rousseau called "The Dark Territory", which means that The Black Rock pirate ship couldn't be far from it. I'm only about a mile away from the Swan hatch now.

Behind me I hear a twig snap. My gun is already in my hand. Fast as lightning I turn and draw it on the last person I expected to see.

"Hello, Tia," John Locke says.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask, keeping my gun on him.

He raises his arms. "You don't seem too surprised to see me alive." he says.

"Are you kidding me? It is just like you to kill yourself and come back and haunt me."

"I didn't kill myself. And I'm not haunting you. I'm alive." He smiles. "Why don't you put the gun down, Tia? I'm not gonna hurt you?"

I lower the gun and he lowers his hands. "What do you want John? I already did what you wanted. I came back."

"Well, that's the thing, Tia," he says, sitting on a rock. "You weren't supposed to come back." He picks a twig up off the ground and starts picking his fingernails.

And instantly, I know something. My gun is back in the air. "Who the hell are you?" I say, pointing it at his head.

"What are you talking about?" he says, dropping the twig.

"You're not John Locke. The whole time I knew him, John Locke did everything he could to keep me on this damn Island. And when I got off, he was trying to get me to come back. Plus, he would never admit he was wrong. He was too proud for that."

He stands and smiles. "You're good," he says. Even though my gun is pointed at his head, he shows no fear at an impending shot. "I'm not John Locke," he admits.

"Are you Jacob?" I ask.

He laughs. "You know about Jacob?"

"Not much. But I'm guessing you're not him."

"No, I'm not."

"Then who are you?"

He puts his pack on. "Why don't you come with me and I'll tell you."

"What makes you think I would go anywhere with you?"

"Because you're here, on this damn Island," he says, gesturing at the trees. "I can tell you why."

* * *

Locke leads me through the jungle, back the way I came. "Where were you headed?" he asks me.

"My old beach camp," I answer.

"What could you possibly want back there?"

"I didn't want anything. I was giving something back." I pause as he waits for more. "I'm giving this necklace back to Boone," I say, pulling out of my tee-shirt.

"Boone? He was your boyfriend?" Locke asks.

"If you already know the answer, why ask it?"

He grins. "Makes me feel more normal."

"You, abnormal?" I say sarcastically.

Eventually we end up at the pylons. "Wait here," he says to me.

"Aren't you worried about the pylons?" I ask.

"They're off," he says, passing right through and heading up the hill.

* * *

Forty minutes later, I see him coming down the hill. Sawyer follows him. Of course Sawyer came back here. This was his home, after all.

"The hell are you doin' here, Brown Eyes?" Sawyer asks.

"Same as you, I assume."

"Come on," Locke says. "We need to hurry."

"Oh, whatever you say Ghost of Christmas Past," Sawyer says. Guess he figured out that this isn't really Locke too.

Back in the jungle, Locke starts to get curious. "What were you doing alone in that house, James?"

"Drinkin'," Sawyer answers.

"Where are the rest of your friends?"

"Some temple somewhere."

"Well, most of them," I input.

"Why aren't you with 'em?" Locke asks.

"You know what?" Sawyer says, annoyed. "How 'bout we just don't talk?"

"You got it."

We walk a few feet before Locke stops. In front of us stands a blond boy, no older than twelve. "Who the hell's that?" Sawyer asks.

"You can see him?" Locke asks.

"The kid? Hell yeah I can see him."

"Why wouldn't we be able to see him?" I ask. But the boy starts to run.

"Hey!" Locke exclaims, running after the boy.

Sawyer turns to me. "What the hell was that?" he asks.

"You got me." I say. Sawyer kicks a rock. "How'd you know he wasn't Locke?" I ask.

"Locke was scared. The whole time he was on the Island he had no clue what he was doin' and that scared him. This guy? This guy knows exactly what he's doin'. And he ain't scared."

"Good point," I say.

Sawyer starts to get frustrated. "Where the hell did he go?" He asks me, then starts yelling at the sky. "Locke! Locke! Look, whoever you are, you got about twenty seconds and then I'm outta here!"

To the left, the bushes rustle and I raise my gun at it. Richard breaks through the trees, looking beat up, a dark red circle around his neck. None the less, he looks exactly as he did thiry years ago. "Where is he?" he asks frantically.

"What the hell are you doin' here?" Sawyer asks.

"Where is he?" Richard asks again.

"Locke? He ran off into the jungle after some kid."

"We need to go! Now!" Richard says, motioning for us to follow.

"Go where?" I ask.

"To the Temple! Let's go! Let's go!"

"You know what?" Sawyer says. "I've been to the Temple and I think I'm sticking with Locke."

"Yeah, I just got out of there. I'm not going back yet."

"That man is not John Locke!"

"We know," I say.

"Then why are you with him?"

"Because he's got answers," Sawyer says. "He says he knows why we're on this Island. Unless you wanna tell me why we're here, Richard?"

"Don't be naive! He's not gonna tell you anything, he's gonna kill you!"

"If he wanted to kill us he could have done it a dozen times already."

"You don't understand what you're dealing with! He doesn't just want you dead, he wants everyone dead! Everyone you care about! All of 'em! And he won't stop—,"

Footsteps ring throughout the clearing and Richard hightails it away.

"Who were you talking to?" Locke asks, coming out of the trees.

"Nobody," I say.

"You ever catch up to the kid?" Sawyer asks.

"What kid?" Locke says, looking up at the trees.

"Right... let's get on with it, shall we?" Sawyer says.

"Yes, James. Let's get on with it."

* * *

"Do you read?" Sawyer asks Locke.

"Excuse me?"

"Books. Do you read books?"

"Sure. Who doesn't?"

"My favorite's Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men. You know that one?"

"Nope. A little after my time."

I hate this book, but I know it's kind of old. This makes me wonder how old the being in John's body actually is. "It's about these two guys, George and Lennie," Sawyer explains. "Lennie's kinda slow, causin' George problems. So George walks him into the woods and tells him to look out yonder and picture the pretty little house they're gonna live in some day. Then he shoots Lennie in the back of the head."

"Well that doesn't sound like a happy ending," Locke says.

"It ain't," Sawyer says, holding out his arm, stopping me from walking. He pulls his pistol out of his pants and points it at Locke.

"What's on your mind, James?" Locke asks, turning around, completely unconcerned about the gun.

"I'm wondering what would happen to you if I put a bullet in your head."

Locke smiles. "Why don't we find out? "

"What are you?" Sawyer asks.

Locke walks closer to us, a sadness in his eyes and something else. Something angry. "What I am is trapped. And I've been trapped for so long that I don't even remember what it feels like to be free. Maybe you can understand that. But before I was trapped, I was a man, James. Just like you."

"You expect us to believe that?" I ask.

"You can believe whatever you want, that's the truth. I know what it's like to feel joy, to feel pain, anger, fear. To experience betrayal. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. So if you wanna shoot me, shoot me. But you two are so close. It would be such a shame to turn back now."

Locke turns around and continues walking. Sawyer sighs and lowers his gun. We follow him.

* * *

We end up at the edge of a tall cliff. "Nice view," Sawyer says. "Now what?"

"Now we go down," Locke says.

"Down where?" I ask.

"Down there," Locke points at the ocean.

"No offense," Sawyer says. "But you already died. So this is great that this isn't a big deal for you. But if you think I'm climbing down there first, you're off your damn mind."

"It's no problem, I'll go first."

Locke walks to the edge and I look over. There's a long ladder leading down the side of the cliff. Locke starts heading down. "Are you two coming?" he calls.

I head down first, Sawyer following me. As I descend, the ladder separates and I have to climb sideways and grab onto the second section. But my foot catches on the rope that ties the wood to the rock and the ladder Sawyer is still on is shaking.

It detaches from the wall. "Sawyer!" I call, my heart stopping, completely terrified. Sawyer clings to the rope on the ladder as he falls, hitting the side of the cliff hard. With one last stroke of luck the rope doesn't break and Locke, who is much closer to Sawyer than I am, climbs to help him.

"Hold on, come on," Locke calls. "Come on, I got you, come on. Come on. Come on."

Sawyer manages to swing his ladder over to Locke, who brings him onto his. I climb down as fast as possible to catch up with them as they crawl into a cave opening in the cliff.

"What is this place?" Sawyer asks, helping me off the ladder.

At the entrance to the cave is a desk with a scale. On one side is a black rock, on the other, a white one. Locke grabs the white rock and turns, chucking it into the ocean. "What the hell's that all about?" Sawyer asks.

"Inside joke," is all he says.

"So this is what you wanted us to see?" Sawyer asks. "A hole in the cliff with some rocks on a scale? That's why we're here?"

Locke grabs a torch laying against the wall and lights it. "No," he says, leading us deeper into the cave. "That's why you're here."

I look at the walls of the cave. In white chalk are hundreds of names, each accompanied by a number. And every name on the wall is crossed out.

"That, Tia, James? That's why you're all here."

"Who wrote all of this?" I ask Locke.

"His name was Jacob."

"Was Jacob?" Sawyer asks.

"He died yesterday."

"You don't seem to upset about it."

"I'm not."

"Why are all the names crossed out?" I ask.

"There not all crossed out," he says, motioning for us to follow. At the base of one of the rocks, _23 – Shephard_ is written, just like all the rest. But there's no line through it.

"Shephard," Sawyer reads. "That Jack Shephard?"

"He's not the only one," Locke says, leading us further. I spot another uncrossed name. _8 – Reyes. _

"Hugo Reyes," I say. "That's Hurley."

"What's the eight about?" Sawyer asks.

"Jacob had a thing for numbers," Locke says, moving to the next uncrossed names. "Sixteen, Jarrah. Forty-Two, Kwon; I don't know if it's Sun or if it's Jin. Here, four, Locke. I think we all know him. Here we have number fifteen, Ford. And of course one-hundred and eight, Samuels. That would be you two."

Why would he write our name on this wall? I never even met the guy. Did you meet him?" Sawyer asks me.

"No. Richard told me about him, but I've never met him.

"Oh no, I'm sure you did meet Jacob. At some point in your life, probably when you were young and miserable and vulnerable. He came to you, he manipulated you, and pulled your strings like you were a puppet. And as a result, choices you thought were made, were never really choices at all. He was pushing you, both of you. Pushing you to the Island."

"Why the hell would he do that?" Sawyer asks.

"Because, you're candidates."

"Candidates for what?" I ask.

"He thought he was the protector of this place. And you two have been nominated to take that job."

"What does that mean?" I asks.

"It means you have three choices. First, you can do nothing and see how all this plays out. And possibly, your name will get crossed out." He picks up a small white piece of clay and marks out _4 – Locke_. "Second option. You can accept the job. Become the new Jacob. And protect the Island."

"Protect it from what?" Sawyer asks.

"From nothing, James. That's the joke, there is nothing to protect it from, it's just a damn Island. And it will be perfectly fine without Jacob or you, or any of the other people whose lives he wasted."

"You said there were three choices?" Sawyer notes.

"The third choice is that we just go. We just get the hell off this Island. We never look back."

"How do we do that?" I ask.

"Together, Tia. So what do you say? Are you two ready to go home?"

There's a pause before Sawyer speaks. "Hell yes."


	5. Flashsideways: Dinner Date

"Carlyle Wedding Industries. Los Angeles Division. How may we direct your call?" A woman says, answering my call.

"Excuse me?" I ask, confused.

"Carlyle Wedding Industries," the woman repeats. "Do you have the wrong number, dear?"

"I'm looking for, um, Boone," I say. "He gave me this number at the airport this morning."

"Of course. One moment please."

I'm on hold for about twenty seconds, each beat of the jazz music playing through the receiver making me more and more agitated. Then, finally. "This is Boone," his voice says from the other end.

"Hey, it's the girl from the airport. The one whose bag you stole."

"Oh," he says, surprised. "I wondered when you were gonna call. How'd you get this number?"

"This is the number you wrote on the pamphlet. Why did you give me a number to a wedding company?"

"This is where I work," he says innocently.

"Alright. Anyway, I need my bag back as soon as possible."

"How about dinner, tomorrow?" he says.

"Are you seriously asking me out right now?" I say, baffled at his suggestion. "I need that bag ASAP."

"What's so important about a couple of papers?" he asks.

I take a deep breath. "You opened it?"

"Yeah, because I thought it was mine."

"Those papers are confidential business transactions."

"Really? I'd love to hear what you do for a living. Maybe over dinner? I know this great place. The waiters are real snobs, but the food is amazing."

All of a sudden, I see a flash of white light. And image of blue eyes looking at me, but they're unfocused, far away.

I shake my head. There's no swaying this guy. "Fine," I concede. Where's the restaurant?"

* * *

I don't have many choices of outfits to wear to dinner. I wasn't even planning on staying in LA more than a day. Luckily most of my clothes were in my carry-on and not in the suitcase that Boone has. I choose my spare business suit. It's that or pajamas with kittens on them.

I call a cab to the hotel that I've booked and it shows up rather quickly. "You got a date?" the driver asks as he puts Boone's suitcase in the trunk. "Or a business meeting? I can't tell."

I hate it when cab drivers make small talk. I look at his credentials behind his seat as we start to drive. _Rory Gibbs_. "A little bit of both," I answer.

We reach the restaurant in about ten minutes, which is crazy, considering traffic in LA is normally really thick around dinner time. I pay my driver, retrieve Boone's bag, and head to the hostess. "Hey, I'm meeting someone," I say. "There should be a reservation."

She chews her gum rather audibly as she asks, "Name?"

"Um, Boone, something. I don't know his last name."

She laughs. "Honey, you should probably learn your date's name before you walk out the door."

"Hey!" I hear someone call from inside. Boone is sitting at the bar, waiting on me, my suitcase by his side. "She's with me," he tells the hostess.

"Whatever," she says, leading us inside.

"You were right about the wait staff here," I note, taking off my sweater and placing it on the back of my chair. "They are really rude."

"Yeah, well they're allowed to be. Wait 'til you try the calamari. It will blow your mind."

I nod my head and we sit in silence for a moment. A waitress comes up. "What do you two want to drink," she says, sounding bored out of her mind.

"I'll have a gin and tonic," Boone says.

"Club soda," I order.

The waitress walks away. "Don't drink?" Boone asks me.

"Actually, no I don't."

"Can I ask why?"

"I just got to a point in my life where I realized that I was drinking more than my father. After that I decided to go sober before things got any worse." He nods and we go back to awkward silence. "Can I ask you something?" I say.

"Absolutely."

"Why me? I mean, was it just because we have the same bag or is there another reason?"

"The truth?" he asks, as the waitress brings our drinks.

"No, I want a lie," I joke.

He smiles. "I saw you on the plane. You had all of these papers in front of you and you looked so busy. Then the turbulence hit and your papers went everywhere and you started freaking out."

"Yeah, I remember."

"This guy on my aisle, an older bald guy. He noticed me looking at you and he told me to go for it. Then I had this…you're gonna think I'm crazy."

I remember the white light I had seen when Boone was describing the restaurant to me. "Try me," I challenge.

He chuckles. "I had this weird feeling I'd met the guy before and he told me to do the exact same thing. I just trusted this guy immediately. And I went for it."

"You were very persistent," I say, taking a drink of the club soda. "So this isn't a rebound?" I ask.

He looks at me, surprised. "No, why would you think that?"

I grab the picture of his and the blonde girl from my purse. "This was in your bag," I say, handing it to him. "She's very pretty."

He laughs. "This isn't what you think. She's my sister, Shannon. Actually she's my step-sister. It's why I was in Australia. My mom made go to try and get her out of this relationship with some guy. My mom's always loved her. Frankly I can't stand Shannon."

And there it is. The white flash of light. I see the same pretty blonde girl tanning on a beach. Reading a magazine. Crying over a body.

"Are you okay?' he asks me.

But the waitress is back, saving me from a response. "Appetizers, meal, what do you want?" she asks.

Boone orders the calamari as I try to make sense of these…I don't know what to call them. Flashes? Memories? They feel like memories. But they can't be. "So what we're you doing in Australia?" he asks.

"I run the Sydney and London divisions of Samuels Investments International. I do a lot of business in Sydney."

"How does someone get that job so young?"

"My dad owns the company," I explain.

"Wait," Boone says. "Your dad is Donald Samuels?"

"Yeah."

"My mom planned your parents wedding!" he exclaims. There's another flash. Me sitting on a white couch, starring at a photo of two young children. One of them is me, the other is a boy.

Boone grabs my hand. "You see it too, don't you?" he asks, a smile on his face.

At his touch, I see us walking through a jungle with a tall bald man, sitting by a fire cooking a fish with Shannon, laying in a tent, our naked bodies under airline blankets.

I yank my hand away and stand up. "I have to go," I say, grabbing my suitcase and bolting out of the restaurant.

What the hell is going on?


	6. My Old Camp

Locke told me to go back to the Temple and wait for him there. He sent Sawyer somewhere else. I told Locke I was on board for leaving the Island, but I'm not, yet. I still need to get Jin and Sun back together.

Instead of heading for the Temple, I head back towards where I left Jin. I'm not the best tracker, but I'm sure I could follow Jin's footsteps if I tried.

I walk closer and closer to the Temple, but soon, I can hear footsteps behind me. I point my gun towards the source as a group of people break the trees. It takes me a minute before I realize that I know almost all of them.

"Sun!" I cry, seeing her for the first time since the Ajirah flight. I pull down my gun and run to her and we embrace.

"Tia, what the hell?" Frank Lapidus says, surprised. "What happened to you?"

"It's a long, long story," I say, then I notice Ben Linus. "What the hell is he doing here?" I ask Sun.

"He's with us," she says. "For now."

I notice a woman I don't know. "And you are?" I ask.

"Ilana," she says. "I was on the plane with you."

"That's right," I remember. "You brought Sayid."

"You must be Samuels," she says. "What are you doing in the jungle by yourself? Where's the rest of your group."

"They're everywhere," I tell her. "Jack, Hurley, Miles, and Sayid are at the Temple. I just left Sawyer and Kate and Jin could be anywhere by now."

"You've seen Jin!?" Sun asks. "He's alive? Is he alright?"

"Yes. Yes, Sun he's fine. I was just on my way to track him. Come on!" I tell the group, but they all stay standing. "What are you waiting for?" I ask them.

"We need to get to the Temple," Ilana says. "You're in danger."

"In danger from what?" I ask.

"You call it the Monster," she says. "But lately he's been running around with the face of John Locke."

I do a double-take at her new information. "Locke is the Smoke Monster?"

"You've seen him?" Ben asks. "Where?"

"I just left him about two hours ago. Sawyer's with him. He took us to this cave. Sun, our names were written on this wall—,"

"We don't have time to talk about this," Ilana says. "We need to get out of the jungle. The Temple is the only safe place on the Island now."

"What about Jin?" Sun asks.

"We'll find him," Ilana assures her. "I told you, I have to protect both of you. And you," she says to me.

"Wait, what?" I ask, confused. "You need to protect me? Who told you to do that?"

"Jacob," she answers.

"Jacob? The guy who's been manipulating me, manipulating all of us our whole lives?"

"Is that what Locke told you?" Ben asks.

"Yeah."

"Well, he lied. You've seen what he can do, Tia," Ben says.

"What makes you think I would ever trust you?" I ask him.

"Well, trust me," Frank says. "We need to get out of this jungle fast. So let's get to the Temple."

With Frank's urging, I concede and help Ilana navigate our way back to the Temple.

* * *

It's nighttime when we get there, and it's complete commotion. Others are running all around, looking for cover as a giant fog of smoke picks them up, one by one, and throws them against the walls. It's unlike anything I've ever seen.

"I thought you said this place would be safe!" I yell at Ilana over the noise of the Monster.

"I was wrong!" she yells back. "You said Shepard, Reyes, and Jarrah were still here?"

"They should be!"

"We need to find them!" she yells, running into the building. We follow her.

Inside, Ilana comes to a door. It appears to be stuck, but she pushes her way in. Miles stands there, looking shaken.

"Where are Shephard and Reyes?" she asks. "And Ford?"

"Who the hell are you?" I hear him ask.

"Just answer the question!"

"They're gone, everyone's gone. I'm the only one left. Kate and I got separated." Miles finally notices the rest of us. "Lapidus? How did you...?"

"We'll play catch up later. You wanna live, you better move your ass!" Frank tells him.

"What about Jarrah? Is he here?" Ilana asks.

"Yeah, he was headed to the pool room."

"I'll go get him," Ben says, darting out of the room.

"Linus, wait!" Ilana calls to him, but it's no use. "Alright... the rest of you with me, come on!"

She leads us out of the room and down a hallway. The ticking noise of the Monster getting more and more close with our every step. Ilana starts looking at the walls, studying the hieroglyphics on them.

"You do hear that, right?" Frank asks her, meaning the Monster's ticking. "You got a plan or are you gonna keep staring at the wall?"

She presses her hand on a brick and it retracts, opening the wall. "Yes, I have a plan," she says.

"Who are you?" I ask, dumbfounded, but she ignores me.

"Everybody inside, now," she says, and we pile into the wall.

* * *

The passage leads us out into the jungle. We make some torches, before running deeper into it. We don't make it far before footsteps approach us.

"Woah!" Frank exclaims, holding his rifle up to Ben, before he recognizes him.

Ilana walks up to him. "Where's Jarrah?" she asks.

"I'm fine. Thank you."

"Where is he?" she demands, more forceful this time.

"Considering that he just killed Dogen, I don't think he's going to be joining us."

"Who's Dogen?" Sun asks.

"The guy in charge at the Temple," I answer.

"Sayid killed the interpreter too," Ben says.

"Are you sure?" Ilana asks.

"He was standing over their dead bodies holding a bloody dagger, so yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"You said we would be safe at the Temple!" Sun yells at Ilana.

"That's what I was told."

"Well, what about the beach?" Ben suggests.

"What beach?"

"Where we buried Locke. Where they lived. At least we'll have the water at our backs and it's familiar territory. Anybody else got a better idea?"

"No," Ilana agrees. "The beach it is."

"This way!" I direct, holding up my torch and taking lead.

When we're far enough away from the Temple, Miles breaks the silence. "How about you tell me what that thing back there was?"

"That thing's what killed her friends back at the statue," Ben says, motioning to Ilana.

"And Jacob, right?" she ask, walking toward him. "It killed Jacob too."

"Yeah, of course, and Jacob—," Ben says, but I know something's up. And apparently so does Ilana.

"Of course?" She turns to Miles. "You're Miles, right? Miles Straume? You communicate with the dead?"

"Not technically," he says. "I... I can tell you how someone died, pick up their last thoughts before they check out, but I need to be near their body."

Ilana reaches into her bag and pulls out a small satchel, handing it to Miles. "This is what's left of Jacob's body."

"What's in there? His foot?" I ask Sun.

"I think it's his ashes," she answers.

"So tell me, Miles," Ilana says. "How did he die?"

Miles kneels down, clutching the pouch. It takes a few seconds, but he looks up at Ben. "Linus killed him," he says.

"What?" Ben says, confused. "That's not true!"

"He's lying," I say.

"How do you know?" Frank asks me.

I look Ben right in his giant bug-eyes. "Because I know what Henry Gale looks like when he lies."

Ilana turns back to Miles. "Are you sure?"

"He was standing over Jacob's body with a bloody dagger, so, yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"Thank you," Ilana says, taking back the bag of ashes. She looks Ben in the eye. "Jacob was the closest thing I ever had to a father," she says, before taking the lead back to the beach.

* * *

We make it to the beach by the morning. It looks relatively the same, but the tents are run down. Our kitchen still holds canned DHARMA food, but the table Sayid built has collapsed. "I'm gonna look for some tools and get to work on some shelter," Ilana says. "The rest of you see what food's left. Maybe get a fire going."

"Yeah, a fire will fix everything," Miles says sarcastically.

With that, I have something I need to do.

I separate from the group, heading to the far edge of our old camp. I spot the hill of crosses that hold the bodies of my old comrades. The graveyard, which was once just sand is now covered in a thin layer of overgrown grass. Some of the crosses have fallen, but one stands as straight as ever.

I stand in front of the grave that reads Boone Carlyle and I sit down on my knees. "Long time, no see," I mumble at the pieces of wood. I take the necklace off of my neck and hold it in my hand. "I have a confession." I say. "I'm mad at you. And I've been mad at you for three years.

"You had to be the hero. You had to leave me didn't you? Jack might have been able to save you, I know that now. I researched compartment syndrome when I got home and he could have saved you. But you let him off the hook," my voice cracks as tears start to slip out of my eyes. "You left me. How am I supposed to forgive that? You know, I've been off this Island for three years, and I still wasn't over you. I never met anyone I wanted to be with. Meanwhile, Sayid gets married." I glance at Shannon's grave. "I love you, Boone, but I can't do this anymore. I can't keep holding on to someone who's…"

I grip the necklace's talisman in my hand one last time before loosening my grip and placing it around the cross, where I took it from all those years ago. "Bye, Boone."

I stand and notice a freshly dug grave. I remember Ben mentioning that they buried Locke here. The real Locke. I walk over, looking at the dirt and sand. "I'm sorry," I say to the pile. "I still hate you. But I'm sorry. Rest in peace, John."

* * *

I'm still wearing the stupid DHARMA jumpsuit. I walk over to my old shelter, hoping my luggage is still there. And for once, there's some luck. I open the suitcase, pulling out a pair of jeans and a plane purple tee-shirt, changing out of the dirty, once tan suit and into my old clothes. They're stiff and old, but still wearable. I instantly feel more like myself, even without the necklace.

Outside, Ilana has a gun at Ben's throat and she's walking him towards the gravesite. I grab my glock and follow. She stops him at the edge of the graves next to one of our old bamboo shovels. "Stop! On the ground! Face down!" Ilana yells at him.

She starts hooking the wire around her arm around the tree at the edge of the site. Then she hooks the metal end up to Ben's ankle, like a prison ball. "What are you doing?" he yells. "Look, if this is about what Miles said—,"

"Pick it up!" Ilana yells.

"What?"

"Pick it up and start digging!"

Ben grabs the bamboo shovel. "Digging what?" he asks.

"A grave."

"For who?"

"You murdered Jacob. It's for you."

Ben looks at me for help, but I just grin. Karma. What a bitch.

* * *

Later Miles tries to offer Ben some food and I decide to try and get some answers out of Ilana. Obviously, Locke's story is different from Jacob's. Maybe I can try and get the answers I need from her.

"Hi," I say, approaching her while she eats a mango.

"You're not going to convince me to let him go," she warns.

"Wouldn't dream of it. You know, I tried to kill him about a week ago."

"I wish you had. Then Jacob would still be alive," she says bitterly.

"Who is he? Jacob?"

"He is the most incredible man. He was the protector of this Island."

"What did he protect it from?"

"What did Locke tell you?"

"That there was nothing to protect it from. That it's just an Island."

"It's not just an Island," she explains.

"Then what is it?"

She hesitates, thinking. "Think of the Island as a cork in a wine bottle. It keeps the wine inside from getting out. That Smoke Monster, Locke? He is the wine."

"So the Island is his prison? How did he get to be this way? He told me that he was a person?"

"I do not have all of the answers you seek," she says.

"But I'm a candidate?" I clarify and she nods. "Which means that I can take over Jacob's job."

"Yes."

"What does that make you?"

"I'm…I was Jacob's bodyguard. He would send me out on odd jobs that I could complete for him. My last job is to protect the candidates. There are seven of you and I've only found two. I believe I'm—," she pauses looking over her shoulder. "Where is Linus?" she asks. But Ben is nowhere to be seen. Before I can say anything, she runs off into the jungle.

* * *

It only takes about ten minutes. I don't know what happened out there, but Ilana changed her mind. Ben is now officially part of the group. Sun seems to accept this. I'm not happy about it, but if my best friend and my "protector" think it's okay, then I guess I'll go along with it.

I help Frank get firewood. We set is down beside the pit and take a seat, but there's a breeze that moves past me as Sun runs behind me. I look up and see her run into Hurley's arms. Jack and Richard are also with him. I can't believe it. I get up and hug Hurley after Sun lets him go. I even hug Jack, because he's familiar and at least he's on my side.

Ben is the only one who doesn't join in on the welcome and that's fine with me. I notice Richard is keeping distance as well and I offer my hand to him, which he shakes. I'm glad he's here, actually. He seems to know much more about Not Locke than Ilana and even more about Jacob.

Locke said he had answers, but he only showed me a piece of the puzzle. I wanna know exactly what Jacob's gotten me into.


	7. No English

That night, we explain to Jack and Hurley what's going on. "Candidates?" Jack asks. "Candidates for what?"

"To replace Jacob," I answer. "There are seven of us. Me, Sun, Jin, Sayid, Sawyer, and you two."

"Well, that's great," Frank says. "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know," Ilana says.

"Then, who does?" Jack asks.

"I as supposed to bring you to the Temple, but I can't do that now. So I'm supposed to ask a man named Ricardus what to do."

"Who's Ricardus?" Hurley asks.

Ilana points to Richard. "He is. So, Richard, what do we do next?"

Everyone looks at Richard, but he just starts to laugh. "Uh, I have no idea what we do next. You didn't tell your friends that I was trying to kill myself when you found me?" he says to Jack and Hurley. "That sounds like someone who has a plan?"

Ilana looks confused. "Why would Jacob say you knew what to do if—,"

"Because everything he ever said is a lie."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asks.

Richard just looks at Jack for a few seconds before explaining. "You wanna know a secret, Jack? Something I've known a long, long time. You're dead."

"You mean that figuratively right?" Hurley asks.

"No, I mean literally. We are all dead, every single one of us. And this, this, all this, it's not what you think it is. We're not on an Island, we never were. We're in Hell. So, I'm not interested in what Jacob said. In fact, maybe it's time to stop listening to him, and we started listening to someone else, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do." Richard grabs a torch out of the fire and heads into the jungle.

Ilana stands and walks over to her guns, loading it. Jack follows her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going after Richard," she says.

"Why? You heard him he doesn't know what we need to do next."

"He knows! Jacob told me. He has to know."

"Alpert has lost his mind," Richard's last name must be Alpert. "He thinks that we're, we're in hell. If he cared about what Jacob said, he wouldn't be talking about, about listening to someone else."

Ilana walks back over to the fire, sitting down. "Wait, you know who he meant?" Jack asks, confused. Oh, God, he doesn't know.

"Oh, this should be interesting," Ben muses.

"What?" Jack asks.

"He meant Locke," I say.

"Locke is dead."

"If it's any consolation," Ben says. "It's not exactly Locke."

Hurley is standing away from the fire, mumbling something out of earshot. Jack walks over to talk to him as Ben leans over to Ilana.

"Shephard is right, you know."

"Right about what?" Ilana asks.

"Richard. Going after him is a waste of time. He doesn't know anything."

"And what makes you so sure? "

"I've known him since I was twelve years old. That should count for something," he says.

"So you guys met when you were kids, huh?" Lapidus asks.

"No Frank, I was a kid. Richard looked just like he does today."

"You're saying this guy doesn't age."

"Believe it or not, Frank, he's telling the truth."

"How do you know?" Ilana asks me.

"Because I met Richard when I was stuck in the 70's with the DHARMA Initiative. And he looked exactly the same then as he does now."

"And how the hell do you think that happened?" he asks.

* * *

The next morning, Hurley went chasing after Richard. No one knows what to do, so I've fixed the collapsed dining table that Sun is now making breakfast on. I'm currently playing cards with Frank and Miles with a DHARMA pack I found in the kitchen.

I hear Ben start talking to Ilana, who is cleaning her rifle beside Sun. "Now what?" he asks.

"We wait."

"Wait for what?"

"For Richard to come back."

"You'll forgive my skepticism," Ben says. "But the last thing Richard said before he went stomping off into the jungle was that we were all in Hell and he had no idea what we were supposed to do next! In fact, I would bet money we never see him again!"

"Hugo will find him. He will track him down and bring him back."

"Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I'm not sure Hurley can track anything," Miles says, looking up from our game.

"Hey, don't talk about bacon," Frank mutters.

"Jacob has never lied to me before," Ilana assures us. "If he said Richard knows what to do, then Richard knows what to do. He'll come back. And until then, we wait."

The next thing we know, _slam_! Sun thrusts the knife she's using into the table and storms off to her garden. Jack gets up from his seat and follows her.

I lay down my cards. "Gin."

* * *

An hour later Ben comes back from the jungle helping support Sun, who has a nasty bump on her head. "What happened?" I ask, coming over. Jack bends down and looks at her head.

I was getting mangos from the jungle and I found her unconscious. Sun says something in Korean, and I look at Ben. "Oh, and she can't speak English for some reason," he wraps up.

Ilana just stares at Ben. "What? I was just gathering mangoes and she was already unconscious when I found her. Why won't you believe me?"

"Because you're speaking," Ilana answers.

Jack looks at the wound on Sun's head. "You got a pretty decent size bump, might be a slight concussion. You can understand what I'm saying?" She just nods. "But you can only speak Korean."

She says something. I've spent some time in Seoul these past few years, working with Sun and I've picked up a bit of Korean. I manage to make out the word "right."

"She hits her head and forgets English?" Miles asks skeptically. "Are we supposed to buy that?"

"Asks the man who communes with the dead," Frank retorts.

"It might be aphasia," Jack says. "It's um, a condition that's caused by trauma and it affects the language center of your brain. It's usually temporary. Sun, you're gonna be okay."

"What are you smiling about?" Miles asks. I look over and see that he's talking to Ilana. I follow her gaze to the tree line, where Richard and Hurley appear.

"Pack your bags," Richard says. "We're leaving."

"Where exactly are we going, Richard?" Jack asks, standing up.

"Where's Locke?" Richard asks Ben, ignoring Jack.

"What?" Ben asks, confused.

"You said he came to recruit you. Where did he say he'd be?"

"Hydra Island."

"Which is exactly where you landed the plane that you flew back here, right?" Richard asks Frank.

"That's right."

"This man wants to leave the Island, and that plane's the only way he can do it. You wanna know where we're going, we're gonna stop him."

"This is your fault isn't it?" Miles says to Hurley.

"Sorta."

"How are we gonna stop him from getting on the plane?" Ilana asks.

"We have to destroy it."

At this, Sun gets up and starts yelling. I can't really understand her because she's speaking really fast. But I can tell from her inflection that she's asking questions.

"Why isn't she speaking English?" Richard asks.

"She was hit on the head when she was running away from Locke," Jack answers.

Richard's eyes widen. "He came back here?" Jack nods, and he turns back to Sun. "What, what did he want? What did he say to you? Do you understand me?"

Sun yells at him some more. At one point she points to Ilana. Then she just storms off to her old tent.

"I don't think she wants to come," Hurley says.

* * *

At night, Jack discovers that even though Sun can't speak English, she can still write it. He convinces her that we need to follow Richard's instructions. We have to destroy the plane.


	8. Flashsideways: Choices

The next morning I manage to get all of Widmore's papers together. I could barely sleep last night after those visions. Memories, whatever.

At his office, I walk up to the lady at the front desk. "Hi, I'm Tia—,"

"Tia Samuels?" a Scottish voice asks behind me.

I turn around to a familiar face. "Yeah. Desmond, right?" I hold up my hand before realizing that his own are full of papers.

"You're Tia Samuels from Samuels Investments International?" the woman at the desk asks.

"Yeah. I have some papers for Mr. Widmore."

"You can leave those with me," she says, holding out her hand.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Widmore seemed to imply yesterday that he was the only one to be involved in the transaction."

"Yeah, that was before Mr. Widmore figured out you'd lost the papers. I'll take them now. Also, he said to give you this," she says, handing me a pice of paper. I exchange mine for her's and read the note.

_Miss Samuels,_

_Your presence is no longer requested at the charity concert event the evening of September 29__th__. _

_Yours sincerely, _

_Charles Widmore. _

"Great," I say, crumpling up the note. I was supposed to go home today and pick up my father for the concert.

I start walking out of the room, but Desmond grabs my arm. "You alright, sister?"

"No, no I'm not."

"Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" he asks.

"Why?" I ask suspiciously. I barely know this guy, and he works for the man who basically dropped me as clientele.

"Because you look like you've got a lot on your mind. I can be a great listener."

After Boone, this guy can't be much difficult. And since it's likely I'll never see him again, I don't mind if he thinks I'm crazy.

"Sure," I say to Desmond, agreeing to the coffee.

* * *

At the shop, Desmond chooses a quiet corner to sit. "So what's on your mind?" he asks.

"Well, I just lost my company's biggest client. My father is going to kill me."

"That's it?" he says skeptically.

"Let's just say yesterday wasn't the most normal day I've ever had."

"How so?"

I take a long drink of my coffee, ignoring the stinging hotness of it going down my throat. "I met this guy."

"This guy?"

"Yeah. And I think I'm going crazy."

He chuckles. "What makes you say that?"

"I went out with him last night because we accidently grabbed each other's bags at the airport carousel."

"This guy was on our plane?" Desmond asks.

"Yeah, he was. Anyway, while we were at the restaurant, the more he told me about himself, the more I got this feeling like I actually knew him. I knew everything he was telling me, but some of the details were off."

"Why'd you get these feelings?"

"I had these memories. But they weren't memories. I'd never seen those events before. But they were so real…" I trail off, spinning the straw around in my coffee.

"So what did you do?" Desmond asks.

"I ran," I say like it's obvious. "He grabbed my hand and I got freaked out. So I bolted."

"Sounds to me like fate," he says, leaning back in his chair.

I roll my eyes. "There's no such thing as fate."

"Oh, and what makes you so sure?"

"I guess nothing makes me sure. I just don't think that my life is planned out for me by some higher power. I like to think I make my own choices."

"It sounds to me like you do have a choice." He picks up a plastic fork in one hand and a plastic spoon in the other. "You can either go home to Sacramento. Face the fear of your father and never think about this guy again," he says, waving the fork. "Or you can call this guy. Meet him again and figure out what it is that you're seeing." He waves the spoon at the second option.

"You don't think I'm crazy?" I ask.

"Why would I," he says, putting down the utensils and standing. "It was nice talking to you, Tia. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a beautiful woman named Penny."

Desmond leaves the shop as I sit there, thinking about my two options. Desmond doesn't think I'm crazy and I really just want to know what's going on.

I pull the safety pamphlet out of my purse, yet again and stare at the number. Boone Carlyle. There really is something familiar about that name…


	9. Lots of BOOM! and a Long Awaited Reunion

Ilana left to get dynamite from the Black Rock. According to Richard, that's the only substance on the Island that will completely destroy the plane, keeping Smokey stuck on the Island. It takes her about two hours and she's back. I remember carrying that stuff from the Black Rock when we used it to blow up the hatch. I wonder how she made it here that fast without blowing herself up.

"Alright, let's go," she says to all of us. "We have to make it to the outriggers and across the channel to Hydra Island before nightfall."

"Do you have the dynamite?" Richard asks.

She opens her bag, showing him. "Four sticks. Enough to destroy the cockpit and all the instruments. That plane will never fly."

"Um, I don't know if that's a good idea," Hurley says. "I mean, for one thing, that stuff's really unstable."

"You have to trust me," Ilana insists. "I've been training my whole life for this."

"To blow stuff up?"

"To protect you!"

"Yeah, but how's blowing up the plane protecting us?"

"With that plane gone, that thing won't be able to leave the Island."

"Yeah," Hurley hesitates. "Well neither will we. And then we'll be stuck here with it and it will be angry at us."

Ilana hastily starts sticking bottles of water into the bag along with the dynamite. I have a vague memory of Dr. Arzt blowing himself into a million pieces and he was being a hell of a lot more careful than she is right now. "Jacob said Richard will know what to do. And Richard said to blow up the plane, correct?"

"Yes," Richard says.

"Well, Jacob never said anything about it to me," Hurley says. "I mean, what if Richard's wrong?"

"Hugo, I'm looking out for your best interests!" Ilana says, looking between him, Jack, Sun, and myself. "All of you! Nothing is more important than this! That thing is evil! And God help us if it ever leaves this island! Because if it—,"

BOOOOOM!

And just like Dr. Arzt, Ilana drops her bag and sets off the unstable dynamite, blowing herself into a million pieces, throwing us all backwards because of the impact.

* * *

"Now what?" Ben asks Richard.

"We get more dynamite," he says. "Or else she died for nothing."

"Maybe she died to show us to stay the hell away from dynamite," Jack points out.

"Well Jack, that's a risk I'm willing to take," Richard counters.

"Richard, I promised Sun that I'd get her off this Island."

"Well Jack, I wish you hadn't done that. If it makes you feel any better, you can blame it on me."

"I think Richard's right," Hurley says. "It's the only choice we've got. Trust me, Jack."

"Okay," Jack agrees. Weird how he agrees with everything Hurley says.

"Good. Let's get moving."

* * *

"So you're talking to Jacob now?" I ask Hurley.

"Huh?" he asks. He looks so distracted as we walk towards the Black Rock, I wonder if he's up to something.

"Back at camp you said Jacob didn't tell you anything about blowing up the plane. Is he one of the dead people you can talk to?"

"Sometimes. Why?"

"I have a question for him," I say.

"It doesn't work like that, dude," Hurley explains. "He only sows up whenever he wants like Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Oh," I say, disappointed. "Well can you—,"

"Sorry, dude, gotta ask Richard something," he says, running up to the front of the group.

I hear a conversation between Jack and Ben in front of me. "Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?" Ben asks Jack.

"What's that?"

"Ilana. There she was, handpicked by Jacob, trained to come and protect you candidates, no sooner does she tell you who you are, then she blows up. The Island was done with her. Makes me wonder what's gonna happen when it's done with us." He finishes his rant as we approach the Black Rock.

I stare up at the massive boat in the middle of the jungle, remembering the last time I came here, not because I wanted to, but because I wanted to prove John Locke wrong about the hatch. Funny how I'm here now and I'm doing this because John Locke was actually right about so many things.

"All right everyone, this might take a few minutes," Richard says, taking off his pack. "I don't want anyone but me handling that dynamite, so I'm gonna go it alone," he looks around the group. "Where's Hugo?"

"I thought he was up front with you," I say.

No sooner than I say this, Hurley comes running out of the pirate ship. "Run! Run! Go! Go! Go! Go!" he shouts.

I take his word for it and bolt. And a good thing too…

BOOOOOOOOOM!

The biggest explosion I've ever seen goes off from the many sticks of dynamite inside the ship, sending my body flying into the ground, hard. The tall mast of the ship falls right next to me, missing me by about a foot.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" Richard yells at Hurley, as soon as we're able to stand.

"I'm protecting us," is all Hurley says as he takes a seat on a piece of wood.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Richard yells.

"Calm down," Jack says.

"Now what—what are we supposed to do now?"

"That's it. That's enough," Jack says.

"We're dead. We're all dead," Richard cries. He stands there for a minute as everyone takes a seat around the mast. As soon as I'm comfortable, though, Richard retrieves his pack and rifle.

"Where you going?" Jack asks.

"Ben," Richard says, ignoring Jack. "Back at the DHARMA barracks are there still grenades there? Explosives?"

"Yes, I think so," Ben answers.

"Then that's where we're going."

"Maybe we should talk about this a minute," I say.

"Talk?" Richard says, looking at me like I'm crazy. "There's no time to talk, but if you know what we need to do, if you know how we stop that thing from leaving the Island without blowing that plane up, Tia, then let's hear it. Let's all hear it."

"I know what we need to do," Hurley says.

"Really?" Richard asks sarcastically. "What's that?"

"We have to go talk to Locke."

Everyone stares at Hurley for a minute, dumbfounded. "Are you trying to get us killed?" Ben asks.

"It's not my idea. It's his," Hurley answers, pointing to the trees. There's nothing there. "Jacob says we have to talk to Locke."

"Jacob's here right now?" Richard asks, staring at the spot Hurley is pointing at.

"Yeah."

"Ask him what the island is."

"What?" Hurley asks, confused.

"A while back, Jacob told me what the Island was," Richard explains, moving his gaze from the trees to Hurley. "And if he's really standing here right next to me, then just ask him."

Hurley walks towards Alpert. "I don't have to prove anything to you, Richard. You either come with me or you can keep trying to blow stuff up. Your call, dude."

"He's lying," Richard concludes. "Jacob isn't telling us what to do. Because Jacob never tells us what to do. I'm going to make this simple. If that thing leaves the island, that's it. It's over."

"What's over?" Miles asks.

"Everything. I'm destroying that plane and I can use all the help I can get. Who's coming with me?"

"I am," Ben says, standing.

Richard stares the rest of us down and Miles stands up, walking over to Hurley. "I saw that thing in action, man. It doesn't want to talk. Sorry."

"Anyone else?" Richard asks again. Frank shakes his head. Sun doesn't move. His gaze comes to me.

"I'm staying with Hurley this time," I say.

Richard turns to Jack. "Sorry, Richard," he says. "If Jacob says we go talk to Locke, we go talk to Locke. I'm going with Hugo."

"Really?" Hurley asks. Jack nods his head.

"Don't get in our way," Richard warns, leaving out group with Miles and Ben. I'm reminded of a time when I was given the choice between going with two different groups before. After Charlie died and I had to choose between Jack and Locke. Funny how some things never change.

"All right, Hurley. Let's go talk to Locke," Jack says, standing.

* * *

We walk through the jungle at night back toward the Temple. We don't know where Locke's group is right now, but we assume it's somewhere nearby.

There's very little talking. Sun writes on her pad of paper, "Did we make a mistake?"

Frank just says "Probably." I have no answer.

Then the whispers come. The stupid whispers that follow you everywhere on the Island. Frank and I raise our guns, but Hurley holds up his hands. "Wait. It's cool, I think I know what these things are."

"Oh yeah? What the hell are they?" Frank asks.

"Wait here," Hurley tells us, going behind some trees.

I decide to follow him. Jack tries to stop me, but I shush him.

"Hey, you around?" I hear Hurley ask. "Michael?"

I do a double take. Why would Hurley be looking for Michael? "You're stuck on the Island aren't you?" Hurley asks. There's no response. It's like he's talking on the telephone and I can't here what's on the other line. "And there're others out here like you, aren't there? That's what the whispers are?...Do you know where Locke is?...Thanks. Is there anything I can do to help you?...Okay…I'll be sure and do that, dude."

So that's what the whispers are. The people that can't move on. I remember back at Santa Rosa, Hurley had been talking to Boone. Does this mean that Boone was never able to move on? Then I think, "move on to what?" What is out there waiting for us after death? Is it this Island? Or is it something more?

I run back to the group before Hurley notices I've been spying.

* * *

Since Michael told Hurley where we need to go, we now have a destination and we move more briskly. Hurley stops us before we break the tree line.

"Okay, dudes," he says. "I'll go first, give Locke a white flag thingy."

"Hurley, he's gonna be pissed I ran away from him," I say.

"Don't worry, I'll make him promise not to hurt anyone. I think he needs us for something or he would have killed the candidates by now," he says. "Wish me luck."

Hurley walks into their camp. I can barely see what's happening through the leaves, but I can see enough.

Locke stands with Sawyer next to a fire at the edge of camp. Hurley walks up to them, Sawyer's face dumbfounded.

"Ummm...hey," Hurley says, holding his torch.

"Hello, Hugo," Locke greets.

"I don't know who you are, dude, or what you want, but we have to talk to you."

"We?" Locke asks.

"There are other people with me. The thing is, you got weapons and we got weapons, and I don't want anyone to get hurt or killed. So, we're not gonna do anything. I want your word that you're not gonna do anything either."

Locke unsheathes the knife on his belt and hands it to Hurley. "You have my word," he says.

"Okay guys, come on out," Hurley calls to us.

One by one we enter the camp. When Locke sees me I get an unpleasant stare. I knew he wouldn't be happy about me leaving the Temple, when I promised to wait for him there.

That look of pure anger is so unbecoming on John Locke's face.

"Hello Jack, I was hoping you would come," Locke says, as Jack comes out of the trees. "I think we have some catching up to do."

Jack walks over to Hurley. "Hurley. This was your idea. You alright with me talking with him alone?"

I notice Hurley hand Jack a gun. "It's all you, dude."

"Alright, let's catch up," Jack agrees, going off with Locke.

* * *

Kate is here with Locke's camp, and while I'm glad she's safe, the thought of Locke having corrupted her, Sawyer and Sayid, who is also here, scares me.

"Come with me," Kate says to Sun and I. We follow her to a small fire, out of earshot from everyone else.

Sun holds up her pad of paper. _Where is Jin?_

"What's with the paper?" Kate asks.

"Sun hit her head. She can't remember how to speak English, but she can still write it. Jack calls it aphasia."

"Well, if Jack says it's right…" We sit at the fire.

"She wants to know where Jin is." I tell Kate.

"Widmore's people took him from our camp," she explains.

Sun's eyes go wide. "What do you mean Widmore's people? He's here? On the Island?" I ask.

"Yeah. Well, actually they're on Hydra Island. Locke sent Sawyer over there yesterday to get information. He came here on a submarine. Sawyer thinks we can commandeer the sub and get off the Island without Locke."

"So you're not with Locke?" I ask.

"Hell, no. But Sayid is. Something happened to him when he…woke up."

Sun taps my shoulder and writes _What does she mean "woke up"?_

"Long story," I say, and I explain Sayid's death and how he came back.

"What happened to him, Kate?"

"I don't know. He says he can't feel anything anymore. No emotions. It's scary. But Sawyer won't leave with him and Sayid won't leave without Locke. So it's us three, Jack, Hurley, Sawyer, Lapidus, Jin, and Claire."

"Wait, you found Claire?" I ask. "Where is she?"

Kate fidgets a little before pointing over to Hurley and Sawyer. Claire stands above them, but she's different. No longer young and sweet, her hair sits on her head like a mop of dreads. Her face is dirty and holds a disturbed look.

"What happened to her?" I ask.

"She was all alone," is all Kate says. As Locke and Jack come out of the jungle, she moves to Jack to explain the submarine plan.

* * *

The next morning I explain to Frank what we're gonna do, making sure that Locke can't hear us. He's agreeing to the plan when a woman I've never seen walks into the camp with her arms raised in surrender.

The Others that are with Locke cock their guns at her. "Where's the man in charge?" she yells.

"Who's she?" Hurley asks.

"That's Widmore's number two," Sawyer explains.

"What can I do for you?" Locke says, coming out of a tent and smiling at her.

"You took something from us," she says. "And we want it back."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about." She starts reaching into her pockets and the rifles all cock, but Locke stops them. "It's okay."

She speaks into a walkie-talkie. "Do you have fix on my position?"

"Roger that," a man's voice says.

"Show them what we're capable of."

A whistling sound goes off above our heads and instinctively I duck as a loud explosion goes off about fifty feet from the camp. "You have until nightfall to return what you took," the woman warns. "Or next time, we won't miss." She tosses her walkie to Locke. "Call me when you're ready for us to pick him up."

She walks away, and when she's far enough, Locke throws the walkie on the ground and smashes it with his foot. "Well...here we go."

* * *

"Listen up, everyone," Locke calls to the group. "All this is happening a bit sooner than I'd expected, but these people have forced our hand, claiming we stole something from them, trying to provoke us into a confrontation. Well, if that's what they want, that's what they'll get. Gather your things, we're going to the other island and we're getting on that plane." I'm standing with Sawyer and Kate as he yells this. He walks over to Sawyer when he's done. "James, I need your help with something. There's a boat moored just a few hours down the shore from here. I want you to get it and meet the rest of us on the other side of these bluffs," he hands Sawyer a map. "We'll all sail over to the other island together."

"How come we're not all heading for it together?" Sawyer asks.

"The bigger the group, the slower it moves."

"All right. I could use another pair of hands."

"Take whoever you want."

"How about it, Freckles?" Sawyer asks. "Know anything about sailing?"

"I know enough."

"Brown Eyes? You up for it too?"

I nod as Locke gives me that look. "Are you okay with this?" I ask him.

"Am I okay with you being back on my side, Tia?" he asks. "Absolutely," he takes a step towards me. "Just don't cross me again." He turns back to Sawyer. "We'll be waiting for you. Sayid, you got a minute?" he asks, chasing after him.

Sawyer walks away over to Jack as Kate and I gather our things. I notice Sawyer hand Jack the map Locke gave him before he runs back over to me and Kate.

"Ready to roll?" he asks.

"What was that all about?"

"Guy talk," is all he says as we head to the sailboat.

* * *

"Thar she blows," Sawyer says, pointing to the boat about thirty yards out to sea. "You ready to get wet?" he asks us.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Kate asks.

"You see a bridge?" Sawyer asks.

"Going back to get Locke."

"Course not. It's a terrible idea, which is why we ain't doing it."

I do a double take. "What?"

"We're gonna ditch Locke. You two, me Jack, Hurley, Sun and that pilot that looks like he's stepped off the set of a Burt Reynolds movie."

"You hear what he said to me," I say. "He told me not to cross him again."

"What you scared of him?"

"Hell, yes."

"Good. Which is why we have to do this."

"When were you planning on telling me this?" Kate asks.

"Now," he says.

"Wait, you didn't say Claire."

"She ain't coming. The Claire you came back for is gone."

"I promised I would bring her back."

"That was before she started drinkin' Locke's kool-aid. She's dangerous, you really want her around Aaron? Let's go. We ain't got much time."

"What about Jin?" I ask.

"We'll get Jin when we get to Hyrda Island. We're still takin' the sub."

I stick my glock in my backpack before tightening the straps and diving into the water.

* * *

We've sailed the boat around to the rendezvous point to meet Jack and the others. And it doesn't take them long to show up. "There they are!" I hear Hurley shout.

"Alright, let's go. Everybody on board, let's go!" Sawyer says, helping Sun onto the boat.

"Sailing home on this, huh?" Frank asks.

"Won't work, not without a bearing," Sawyer explains. "For three years the only way DHARMA folk ever got on or off this Island was by sub, so that's what we're doin'. Nice job, doc."

When everyone's on the boat I notice something in the jungle. "Guys!" I call as Claire comes out of the trees, her rifle cocked and pointed right at us.

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"Claire, it's okay," Kate says, holding up her hands and stepping toward her. "We're leaving the Island."

"Then, uh, why aren't you waiting for John?" Claire asks.

"Because that's not John, and whoever he is, he's not one of us. Claire, come with us. I can get you back to Aaron."

"Wait a damn minute!" Sawyer yells.

"Sawyer shut up," Kate says. "She is coming or I'm not. Come with us Claire."

Claire shakes her head. "John promised me—,"

"No I'm promising you. I was there when he was born, and I never should have raised him, it should have been you. I came back to get you so you can be with him again. It's the only reason I came back to the Island, Claire. So please come with us. Let's go home."

Claire lowers her rifle and climbs on the boat. "Alright, get on the boat before Locke gets here," Sawyer says, getting the boat ready to sail

I'm sure Claire only means for Kate to hear this, but I hear her mumble, "He finds out we're gone, he's gonna be mad."

* * *

On the boat, Sawyer sails us to Hydra Island. "I know I'm a little late to the party, Captain, but, you mind filling us in on what your game plan is?" Frank asks him.

"My plan, Chesty, is to land on Hydra Island, get ourselves nice and cuddly with Widmore until we get a chance to jump on that sub. Then I'm gonna put a gun in someone's face and make 'em take us home."

"I like that idea," Frank says. "I saw some canned food down in the galley. Anybody else starving?"

I pass as everyone but Jack, Kate, and Sawyer go down. Sawyer asks Kate to take the wheel while he talks to Jack. I don't know what they talk about, but the next thing I know,

_Splash_!

Jack has dived into the water and is swimming back to shore. Kate and I call his name, but he ignores us. "What did you say to him?" Kate yells at Sawyer.

"He changed his mind."

"What do you mean he changed his mind? What did you say to him?"

"He ain't coming with us."

"We have to go back and get him."

"We're done going back, Kate."

* * *

We finally make it to Hydra Island where there's nowhere to dock the boat, so I have to make the dive again. When we make it to shore, Sawyer starts giving instructions. "Everybody stay close. Camp's over here. Not gonna have much time before Locke figures out we made off with his ride."

"Hands up!" I hear a man shout as about ten of Widmore's men come out of the trees, guns pointed at our heads.

"Hey! Whoa!" Sawyer shouts.

"Drop your weapons!"

"Whoa! Take it easy!"

"Drop them now!" It's the woman who came to Locke's camp this morning. I drop my gun in the sand, followed by Claire, Sawyer, Frank, and Kate. "It's all right. We know him," the woman says, meaning Sawyer. "Who else is with you?" she asks.

Widmore's men lower their guns as Sawyer answers her question. "Nobody. You wonder where Locke is, he's still back on the main Island."

"Turn the fences off," she says into the walkie. "Ford just showed up on a boat with five of his friends."

"Jin?" Sun says beside me. I follow her gaze to find Jin standing on the other side of the makeshift pylons. They call each other's names as they meet at the fence and embrace. All I can do is smile. The thing I finally came here to do happened. I helped Sun get back with Jin.

"I never stopped looking for you," Sun says in English.

"Looks like someone got their voice back," Franks says, smiling.

"We'll never be apart again. I promise you," Jin says.

"Are you sure?" the woman says into her walkie. "I-I understand, Charles."

"That Widmore?" Sawyer asks, but no one answers. They just cock their guns, pointing them at us again. "What the hell are you doin'?" Sawyer yells.

"What's it look like I'm doing? Hands up, now! On your knees. All of you!" We do ask she says. After all, they're the ones with the weapons now.

"We had a deal!" Sawyer yells.

"Deal's off," the woman says before talking to the walkie. "We got 'em. If you've got a sightline on Locke, fire when ready."

"Roger," a man's voice says from the walkie.


	10. Flashsideways: Awakening

I walk up to the tall building with the sign Carlyle Wedding Industries on the front door and walk in.

"Hi, I have a meeting with Boone Carlyle," I say to the woman at the front desk.

"Fifteenth floor," she says, pointing me to an elevator. The whole ride up, my stomach churns, the anticipation for finding out what it is I'm seeing making me nauseous. The elevator doesn't help.

I walk out and I'm in an office, similar to a penthouse. There's no front desk, only his.

He sits behind the mahogany and looks up at me, surprised. "What are you doing here?" he says.

"You work here, don't you?"

"Yeah, I mean, what are you doing here after you ran from the restaurant last night?"

"I'm sorry I did that. I was just…I was scared."

"Why? I told you I was seeing those memories too."

"Because when I see them, I feel sad. Most of those memories are happy, but there are some that give me a sinking feeling in my chest."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he says, standing and walking over to me.

"I keep having a memory of you dying. And I know we only met yesterday, but that…that is the worst thing I could ever imagine."

"Tia, I'm not dying. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." He grabs my hand and a slew of memories come back to me. His face being licked by a yellow Labrador. A young boy, throwing a knife at a tree. A massive golf course with him winking at me. A kiss by the light of the fire.

Boone lets go of my hand. "Did you see that?" he asks me. Just like he did at the restaurant. And I start to remember.

An Island. We were on an Island after a plane crash…but everything is still so fuzzy.

I grab his face and bring his lips against mine, throwing myself into the kiss. More memories. I'm slapping Boone across the face. We stare out into the ocean as the sun sets. I pull him out of the ocean, my hand on his bare chest.

Boone kisses me back, his fingers tangling in my hair, and I know he sees these things too. This is our story, the life we both eventually moved on from and came here. This was always the plan.

When our lips part, there are tears in my eyes. "You left me," I say, not looking him in the eye.

He pulls my face up, forcing me to look at him. "I will never leave you again." We kiss again, softer this time and when we part, we share a laugh. "So what do we do now?" he asks.

I remember my coffee with an old friend from earlier today and remember how he said he had a date with "Penny". "I think we need to find Desmond."

"Who's Desmond?" Boone asks as I laugh at the confused look on his face.


	11. Smokey's New Angle

Widmore's team leads us through the trees of Hydra Island to a set of large cages. "Get in," one of them tells us.

"Uh-uh," Sawyer protests. "No way I'm getting back in those cages."

"Well I've got the gun, so you—,"

But Sawyer grabs the gun out of his hands, pointing it right at the goon. "Not anymore, doughboy."

BANG! A shot rings out over the cages. "Drop the gun!" A familiar voice shouts. Charles Widmore comes out of the trees, grabbing Kate and holding his gun to her throat. "Put the gun down or I'll kill her!"

"You ain't gonna kill anybody," Sawyer says. "Otherwise you wouldn't be throwin' us in a cage."

"I have a list of names," Widmore counters. "Ford, you're on it. As are Reyes, Samuels, and the Kwons. Kate Austen? She's not. It doesn't matter to me whether she lives or dies."

"Don't listen to him," Kate says, but Sawyer concedes, handing the rifle back to Widmore's goon.

"You may not believe it," Widmore says, as we pile into the cage. "But I'm doing this for your own good."

"You're right," Sawyer says, bitterly. "I don't believe it."

Widmore just walks away to give instructions to his men.

* * *

I sit in the cage between Frank and Hurley for a good hour, not really talking about anything. Then the power goes out. "Uh-oh..." Frank mutters.

Widmore's men scramble to figure out what's gone wrong, but's it's not use. I hear the ticking noise of the smoke monster deep in the trees. "And we're dead," Hurley mutters.

I run to the edge of the cages when Smokey comes out of the trees, throwing Widmore's goons around the cage site, killing all of them. They try to shoot him, but it does no good. Smokey slams the goon with the keys against our cage, killing him and Kate bends down towards the body.

"I think I can reach the keys!" she says, stretching her arm toward his belt-loop, where the keys hang.

"Hurry!" Hurley tells her. "When that thing's done with them, he's coming for us!"

"Well, I ain't waitin'!" Frank says, moving to the cage door and slamming his foot against it, hoping to break the lock.

"Uh, damn it!" Kate yells, unable to reach the keys.

Out of nowhere, Jack grabs the keys and starts unlocking our cage. "What are you doing here?" Kate shouts at him, over Smokey's ticking.

"I'm with him," Jack says, nodding to the Monster. "Come on."

And we follow Jack away from Smokey's attack zone.

* * *

"How much further to the plane?" Jack asks, letting Frank take the lead.

"Say about a quarter mile. Just over that ridge," Frank says, pointing.

"So you're coming with us now?" Kate asks Jack.

"I'm going to take you to the plane but I'm not getting on it. I'm sorry, Kate. I'm not meant to go."

"Thanks for comin' back for us, Doc," Sawyer says. "Appreciate it."

We all managed to grab guns off of the bodies of Widmore's goons and when a rustling in the bushes beside us happens, we all point our guns at it. Sayid emerges, looking not at all like Sayid, with that blank zombie stare. "No, it's okay!" Jack shouts. "Sayid's with us. He was the one who turned off the generators."

"Great," Sawyer says, lowering his gun. "The more the merrier."

"We need to go," Sayid says. "Locke's waiting."

Frank leads the group for about another five minutes and there it is. The Ajirah plane we flew in on. I know it's only been about a week, my time since we crashed, but it feels so much longer than that.

As we get closer, we notice two bodies on the ground. Sayid and Claire bend down next to them. "His neck's been broken," Sayid tells us.

"That's because I broke it," Locke says, coming out of the plane. "If it's any consolation, Widmore knew that I would kill these men."

"What are you talkin' about?" Sawyer asks.

"They were only guarding the plane for show. If Charles had really wanted to keep me from actually getting on board he wouldn't have moved his little fences."

"Well, wait, now he wants us to leave the Island?" Hurley asks, confused.

"No, Hugo. He wants to get us all in the same place at the same time. A nice confined space we have no hope of getting out of. And then he wants to kill us."

"Kill us with what?" Sayer asks.

Locke takes off his pack and pulls out a small, brown box. "With this. Four bricks of C-4. I found them in one of the overheard compartments, wired to the electrical system of the plane. If we would've turned it on... boom."

"So what now?" Jin asks.

"We can't be sure he didn't put more explosives on the plane. It's not safe. If we're gonna leave the island, I think we have to take the submarine."

"Well that's what I've been saying all along," Sawyer says, smugly.

"Dude, wait," Hurley says, pointing to Locke. "He's not supposed to leave the island. I mean, Alpert said that—,"

"Screw Alpert. He ain't here. That's twice you've saved our asses," Sawyer says, turning to Locke. "Guess I was wrong about you."

"Thank you, James," Locke says, before turning to the rest of the group. "That submarine is gonna be heavily defended. We're gonna need everyone."

"I'll help you but, like I said, I'm not going with you," Jack says.

"Fair enough. Let's go."

* * *

At the dock, we all crouch behind the bushes, Sawyer scouting the port of the submarine. "Just 'cause there ain't any goons on the dock, doesn't mean they ain't on the sub," he says. "We're goin' in hard. Got it? Lapidus, Hugo, Jin, Sun—you're with me. The rest of you wait 30 seconds, head down the dock behind us." He turns to Jack and Locke. "You think you two can get our backs?"

"Absolutely," Jack says.

"All right. Let's go home," he takes off for the sub, followed by Frank, Hurley, Sun, and Jin. They all manage to make it into the sub and after about a minute, Kate says, "Let's go."

We all jog to the dock. I can hear Jack and Locke talking behind me, but I don't pay attention to what they say. The next thing I know, splash! Jack has pushed Locke into the water. "What happened?" Kate yells.

BANG! Kate is thrown back as a bullet goes in her shoulder. Jack runs after her and I turn toward the trees and see Widmore's goons, all with guns, shooting at us.

I duck behind a wooden box and shoot back. I'm almost positive I hit at least two of them. I see Jack carry Kate into the sub, and I make my move, coming in from behind them, descending into the dark machine.

Jack carries Kate to a ledge which acts as a bed. "What's going on up there? What happened?" Sawyer asks, coming out of a hallway.

"Widmore's people shot her," Jack says. "Tia, I need a first aid kit." I turn and pass Sayid as I start looking for a first aid kit. On a vehicle like this there should be a large red plus sign, but there's nothing. I look for about three minutes and the sub starts to dive, feeling like an elevator going down.

I run back into the room. "Jack, there's no first aid kit!"

"Jin," he says. "My pack. There might be a shirt in there I can use for pressure." He starts speaking to Kate. "It's okay. Just relax. Everything's gonna be alright."

"Here," Jin says, handing him the backpack. "Can you help her?"

"I think the bullet went straight through," he says, reaching in. As he grabs onto something, his expression changes.

"What?" Sawyer asks.

Jack pulls out a C-4 bomb, counting down its detonation on a timer. "Dude, where did that come from?" Hurley asks.

"Locke," Jack says. "We did exactly what he wanted. We have to get to the surface."

"What the hell?" Sawyer asks, still in shock of Locke's move.

"We have to get to the surface now!" Jack yells.

Jin grabs an intercom. "Lapidus, take us up."

"We're divin'!" his voice says back.

"Just do it!" Jin yells.

"Dude how'd that get on the sub?" Hurley asks.

"Locke put it in my pack," Jack explains, going back to treating Kate.

"Why would he do that?" Jin asks. "He wanted to come with us?"

"Damn right he did, that's why I shut his ass out," Sawyer says.

"He wanted you to shut him out," Jack continues, looking at the timer. It now reads _3:08_. "Any idea how that thing works? Can we turn it off?"

Sayid inspects it. "This watch is jury-rigged to the battery. The battery detonates the explosives."

Sawyer grabs the intercom. "How much time till we're up, Frank?"

"At least five minutes."

"We ain't got five minutes." He hangs up and turns back to the bomb. "What's it gonna be Sayid?"

"These wires," he explains. "They're leads from the watch. If we disconnect them from the battery, technically speaking, the bomb should be inert."

"Technically?"

"Yes, but you need to pull them out simultaneously; and, I'm not sure—,"

"Step aside," Sawyer says, grabbing the two wires.

"Wait! Wait!" Jack says.

"What the hell are you doin', Doc?"

"Nothing's gonna happen."

"What?"

"Don't pull those wires out. We're okay. Nothing's gonna happen."

"If I don't pull these wires, Locke's gonna blow us to kingdom come."

"No, he's not! Locke can't kill us."

"Uh...what?" Hurley asks.

"This is what he wanted. This is what he's been waiting for. Everything that he has done has been to get us here. He wanted to get us all in the same place, at the same time—a nice, enclosed space where we had no hopes of getting out of."

"I don't understand," Jin says.

Jack continues. "Locke said that he can't leave the Island without us. I think that he can't leave the Island unless we're all dead. He told me that he could kill anyone of us whenever he wanted. So, what if he hasn't because he's not allowed to. What if he's trying to get us to kill each other?"

"Stay out of my way, Doc," Sawyer says, going back for the bomb.

"Now if he wanted that thing to blow up, why would he put a timer in it? Why not just throw it inside?" Jack counters.

"I don't care!"

"Nothing is gonna happen."

"It's not your decision to make!

"He can't kill us!"

"I'm not gonna stand here and do nothing!"

"James," Jack says, grabbing his shoulder. "We are going to be okay. Just have to trust me."

"Sorry, Doc, I don't." Sawyer pulls out the two wires and the timer stops. And just as I'm about to let out a sigh of relief, the timer starts again, this time ticking by faster.

"Listen carefully," Sayid says to Jack. "There's a well on the main Island, half mile south from the camp we just left. Desmond's inside it. Locke wants him dead, which means you're going to need him. Do you understand me?"

"Why are you telling me this?" Jack asks.

"Because it's going to be you, Jack."

Sayid grabs the bomb and starts running. "Sayid!" I call after him, making a move to run, but Jin holds me back.

I hear a loud BOOM! And I black out.

* * *

I wake up with a mouthful of salt and sand. Jack and Kate sit above me. "What happened?" I ask.

"Sayid let off the bomb," Jack explains. "The sub sank." He helps me sit up and I see Sawyer passed out and Hurley, staring out into the ocean.

"He's gone?" I ask, already knowing the answer. Kate stifles a cry as Jack nods. "What about Sun and Jin? Where's Frank?"

"They didn't make it," Hurley says, his voice cracking.

And with that, I sit on the beach, looking out into the moonlit ocean, as the tears run down my face for my friends. My friends that I will never see again.


	12. Flashsideways: The Beginnings of a Plan

I dial the number Desmond provided for me yesterday. "Jack Shephard," a familiar voice says, answering the other end.

"Hello, Mr. Shephard," I say. "This is Oceanic Airlines calling to inform you that we've, um, we've located your missing cargo."

"My father's coffin? You found it?"

"Yes, sir. It will be arriving in Los Angeles by the end of the day."

"That's, uh, that's great news. Thank you."

"Of, course, sir. We at Oceanic are very sorry it's taken so long. Good day, sir." I hang up the phone.

"Did he recognize you?" Boone asks in the car seat beside me.

"Nope, he wouldn't. He doesn't remember me yet." We're sitting in the parking lot of the Los Angeles Police Department.

"So, who is Ana Lucia?" Boone asks.

"She was in the tail section of the plane." I consider leaving out the part where she killed Shannon in self-defense. But there's no reason for us to keep secrets now. "She's the one who killed Shannon."

I expect him to lose it, but he just grabs my hand. "You forgave her?"

"She thought Shannon was someone else," I explain. "But it's also why she can't come with us. She was never free."

Boone nods as a Hispanic police officer exits the building. I get out of the car, clutching the envelope I got from Hurley. "Officer Cortez!" I call to her.

"What do you want?" she says, taking off her cop shades.

"I have a proposition for you," I say, handing her the envelope.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Ana Lucia accepted my offer. Back at the car, Boone hangs up his cell phone. "She's here," he tells me. "And she's really pissed."

"Wouldn't be Shannon if she wasn't," I say, getting behind the wheel and heading to LAX.


	13. The Man in White

"What about Ji Yeon?" Hurley asks me the next morning. We all tried to get some sleep, but it was no use. We couldn't sleep knowing that Sun, Jin, Sayid, and Frank wouldn't wake up with us.

"Sun appointed me her godmother," I tell Hurley. "I don't know if Sun's family will actually let me be a part of her life, but I want to be."

Jack stitches up Kate's bullet wound as Sawyer, Hurley, and I look out into the ocean. Kate joins us when she's stitched. We don't stand still for long, though.

"We should get going, now," Jack says, putting on his pack.

"Go where?" Hurley asks.

"Before Sayid died, he said that Desmond was in a well. If Locke wants Desmond dead, then we're gonna need him."

* * *

We get lost multiple times on the way to the well. At one point, Hurley runs off, but Jack and Sawyer are so far ahead, they don't notice.

"Hey, guys," I call to them. "Where's Hurley?"

No one knows and our trek to the well is delayed as we search for him until the sun sets. Finally, Kate manages to pick up his trail by torch light.

As we break the trees, we come upon a small fire with logs around it for sitting. Hurley stands off to the side, but sitting on one of the logs is a man wearing a white button-down shirt, his sandy blond hair sweeped across his head and his blue eyes old. Much older than the rest of his body. And I remember this man. This is the man who found me after my mother had been shot. The stranger who's arms had wrapped around me as I wept into his shoulder. The stranger who had never returned, who had found me at a time in my life where I was venerable.

The stranger named Jacob.

He greets us one by one in the order we break the tree line. "Hello, Kate. James. Tia. Jack.

"He's right there by the fire, he says hello—," Hurley tells us, thinking we can't see him.

"I heard him," Jack says.

"What, you can see him?"

"Yeah, I can see him."

"Kate? Sawyer? Tia? You, too?"

They both nod, but I walk a few steps closer to Jacob. "So, you're the one who wrote our names on the wall." I say. It's not a question.

"I am," he says.

"Sun and Jin Kwon and Sayid Jarrah—you wrote their names on the wall?" I say.

"Yes."

"Is that why they're dead?" Kate asks from behind me.

"I'm very sorry," is all he says.

"You're sorry?" Kate says, stepping forward.

"Kate," Hurley warns, but she ignores him.

"No, I wanna know why. I wanna know that Sun and Jin and Sayid didn't die for nothing."

"Come and sit down and I'll tell you what they died for," Jacob says, sitting on his log again. "I'll tell you why I chose them and why I chose you. And then I'll tell you everything you need to know about protecting this Island, because by the time that fire burns out, one of you is gonna have to start doing it."

We all sit around the fire, waiting for our answers. This is it. The truth about why we're here. "I don't really know where to start," Jacob says.

"How about why you brought us to the Island?" Hurley suggests.

"I brought all of you here because I made a mistake. A mistake I made a very long time ago, and now, because of that there's a very good chance that every single one of you and everyone you've ever cared about is going to die."

"What mistake?" Sawyer asks.

"You call him 'The Monster'. But I'm responsible for what happened to him. I made him that way. And ever since then he's been trying to kill me. It was only a matter of time before he figured out how, and when he did, someone would have to replace me. And that's why I brought you all here."

"Tell me something, Jacob," Sawyer says. "Why do I gotta be punished for your mistake? What made you think you could mess with my life? I was doin' just fine until you dragged my ass to this damn rock."

"No, you weren't," Jacob counters, standing and looking at all of us individually. "None of you were. I didn't pluck any of you out of a happy existence. You were all flawed. I chose you because you were like me. You were all alone. You were all looking for something that you couldn't find out there. I chose you because you needed this place as much as it needed you.

"Why did you cross my name off of your wall?" Kate asks.

"Because you became a mother," he explains. "It's just a line of chalk in a cave. The job is yours if you want it, Kate."

"What is the job?" Jack asks.

"There's a light at the center of the Island. You have to make sure it never goes out. That's how you protect it."

"Your monster friend said there is nothing to protect it from," Sawyer says.

"You have to protect it from him," Jacob explains. "You must do what I couldn't. What I wasn't able to do."

"You want us to kill him?" I say. "Is that even possible?"

"I hope so, Tia, because he is certainly going to try to kill you."

"So how are you gonna pick?" Hurley asks.

"I'm not going to pick, Hugo. I want you to have the one thing that I was never given—a choice."

"And if none of us chooses it?" Kate asks.

"Then this ends very badly," Jacob says, somberly.

"I'll do it," Jack volunteers, standing. "This is why I'm here. This is... this is what I'm supposed to do."

"Is that a question, Jack?"

"No."

"Good... Then it's time."

* * *

Jacob leads Jack out to a creek not far from the small fire. Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, and I watch as the two men stop by the water's edge, talking.

"And I thought that guy had a God Complex before," Sawyer says,

"James," Kate scolds.

"Yeah I know."

"I'm just glad it's not me," Hurley says.

"Ditto," I mumble.

We continue to watch in silence as Jacob bends to the water and hands Jack a cup. Jack drinks as Jacob walks into the trees, disappearing as the fire behind us goes out.


	14. Flashsideways: Getting Ready

I stand by the car outside of LAX. Shannon won't know who I am and it's best to keep her calm when she's pissed off, so Boone went to get her alone.

I hear the roar of an engine behind me as the canary yellow Hummer pulls into the parking lot. "Hey, dude," Hurley says.

"Hello, Hugo," I greet him, climbing into the passenger seat.

"How's Boone doing?"

I smile. "Better than ever." I turn to him. "You got the money?"

Hurley reaches under his seat and pulls out an envelope. "One hundred and twenty five thousand dollars," he says. "Who's this for anyway?"

"You'll see. Drive to the rendezvous point."

"What about Boone and Shannon?"

"We'll find them tonight," I say. "Hurry, or we'll be late."

* * *

"Sorry we're late, dude," Hurley says, hopping out of the Hummer.

"Don't worry about it," Desmond says.

It takes so much not to run up and hug Kate and Sayid who Des busted out of jail and there's no way I'll be able to wipe the stupid smile off my face, looking Sayid, especially after the last time I saw him.

"Oh, hey, you didn't tell me Ana Lucia was gonna be here." Hurley says, walking up with the money.

"Do I know you, tubby?" she says.

"Oh, no. We never met. Anyways, here's your money. A hundred twenty-five grand, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," she says, looking inside. "Nice not knowing you."

"She's not coming with us?" Hurley asks me as Ana climbs into the prison transport van and drives away.

"No, she's not ready yet," I tell him.

Hurley grabs Desmond's shoulder. "I brought you my Camaro. The keys are under the floor mat. Everything else you need's in the trunk."

"All right, good," Des turns to me. "Um, you know where you're taking them, yeah?"

"Absolutely," I say.

"All right, well, we should get going," he points Sayid in mine and Hurley's direction and Kate in his.

"Here we go," I say to Sayid, unable to stop smiling. There's so much I have to say. But I can't.

There are rules.

* * *

Sayid says nothing as we pull into the parking lot for the motel across from LAX. Hurley parks and reaches into the glove compartment, pulling out a tranquilizer gun. He holds it in front of Sayid's face for a moment, but I know it's not a powerful enough memory to pull the trigger. "None of this is ringing a bell, is it? You me, tranquilizer gun?"

"You are insane," Sayid says, looking out the window.

"Told you it wouldn't work," I say.

"Whatever, dudes. Be right back." Hurley gets out of the hummer to retrieve our next package.

"I don't know why you got me out of prison, what you want or who you are," Sayid says to me. "But, you understand, I can't be held responsible for—,"

"Are you nervous, Sayid?" I ask.

"Why would I be nervous?"

"No reason, I guess." I reach into my bag and pull out two mangos. "Pick your poison," I say, showing them both to him.

"No, thank you," he says.

I see Hurley coming out of the motel, the body on his back. I get out of the car and open the trunk for him, tossing the body back there.

We climb back into the car. "What was that?" Sayid asks.

"That was Charlie."

* * *

I drop off the tranquilized Charlie and Hurley off at Widmore's benefit concert and take over the wheel of the hummer. I drive Sayid to the location Boone and I discussed, pulling around to the back of the building near the dumpsters.

"What are we doing here?" Sayid asks.

"I'm not allowed to tell you."

"What do you mean you're not allowed?"

"There are rules."

"Whose rules?"

"Don't worry about it," I say, turning to face him. "You need to just trust me. I trust you."

"And what, may I ask, have I done to deserve your trust?"

"You're a good guy, Sayid. I know a lot of people have told you that you're not. Maybe you've heard it so many times you started believing it, but you can't let other people tell you what you are. You have to decide for yourself."

"I'm sorry. You clearly don't know anything about me," he says with chagrin.

"I know a lot about you, Sayid. You were my best friend."

He gives me a weird stare as the alley fight begins. Boone is pulled out of the bar by some thug, getting the crap beaten out of him. I must be giving it some uncomfortable looks, because Sayid asks, "Do you know that man?"

"Yeah. That's my boyfriend," I say, just as soon as the real action begins.

"Hey, leave my brother alone," she shouts, right as the attacker throws her against the brick wall and she lands in the garbage.

Sayid is out of the car in the blink of an eye, snapping the thug's arm, getting rid of him before helping Shannon up.

"I just got pounded," Boone says, crawling into the hummer next to me. "Thanks for taking your sweet time."

"It takes as long as it takes," I say, not taking my eyes off of Shannon and Sayid as they remember and they kiss.

"It was a pain in the ass getting her here from Australia," Boone says.

"Yeah, but it was worth it."

"Should I go get 'em?" Boone says, getting annoyed that I'm paying more attention to them than I am to him.

"We should give them a minute," I say, before turning to him and stifling a laugh. He did get pounded. I reach behind me and grab my first-aid kit, getting rid of the blood from his eyebrow.

When I finish, Sayid and Shannon are at the car. "Are you ready?" Sayid asks.

Yes. Yes, I am ready.


	15. The End: Part 1

Around the campfire in the morning, Jack explains our next move. "Jacob told me that we have to go to the bamboo forest out past our old camp. Just past it, well, said I'd find the place we need to protect."

"This place, what is it?" Kate asks.

"He called it The Heart of the Island. All he said was that it's...it's a light."

"And that Locke Smoke Thing wants to put it out?" Hurley asks.

"Something like that, yeah."

"So, what if he does?"

"Then that's it for all of us."

"But, if Locke wants to put it out, then why hasn't he?" I ask.

"'Cause he ain't got what he needs," Sawyer says. "I'm guessing that'd be Desmond. That's where we were headed before your inauguration. Sayid said Locke tossed him in a well."

"Jacob didn't say anything to me about Desmond," Jack says.

"oesn't sound like he said anything about anything."

"That's kinda of true, dude. He's worse than Yoda," Hurley says.

"All right," Sawyer says, standing. "Y'all head to your Heart of the Island and I'll go get the magic leprechaun out of that well. Brown Eyes, you wanna join?"

"Why not," I say, stuffing my water into my pack. "Might as well have a few last words with Smokey."

"If I leave a trail, can you catch up with us?" Jack asks.

"Hell, yeah we can," Sawyer says.

"Then be safe."

"I'd ask you along," Sawyer says to Kate. "But that'd take all of the fun out me telling you, you can't come."

"Uh, I guess I'll just have to resist the urge to follow you anyway," she jokes.

I smile before leaving the group to find our magic leprechaun.

* * *

Crouching behind the bushes, Sawyer and I watch as Locke stares down into the well. Then, there's a click behind us. "As long as you're watching, why don't you join us?" Ben Linus says, his rifle at our backs. Damn that bastard traitor.

"What are you two doing here?" Locke asks, surprised, as Sawyer and I reveal ourselves.

"We heard Desmond fell in the well, so we came to help him get out," Sawyer says, looking into it. I sneak a peek. It's empty. "Looks like somebody beat us both to the punch. Oh well."

"Do you know why I'm here?" Locke asks.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with you needing Desmond to destroy the Island," I say.

"That's absolutely right, Tia."

"Then what, Smokey?" Sawyer asks. "You going down with the ship? Suicide doesn't seem like your style."

"I'm not going down with anything. But you two and the rest of Jacob's little candidates absolutely are."

"Well, it's a good thing we're not candidates anymore, huh, James?" I say cheekily.

Locke gives me a surprised look as Sawyer makes his move, elbowing Ben in the stomach and grabbing the rifle.

"We'll be seein' ya," Sawyer says, and the two of us dash out into the jungle, finding Jack's trail and catching up.

"Whoa!" Hurley exclaims as we break the tree line, startling him.

"Easy, Bigfoot. It's just us," Sawyer says.

"We found Locke. He said he's gonna destroy the Island," I say. "You were right, Jack."

"Good news is, Desmond got out of that well. So, if we can find him before Smokey can—,"

"It doesn't matter if we find Desmond or he does, James. We're all going to the same place anyway," Jack explains.

"Then what?" I ask.

"Then it ends."

* * *

"Well, this is gonna be interesting," Locke says, Ben by his side. Along with Desmond, who supports his weight on a big stick.

Kate grabs Ben's rifle out of Sawyer's hands, pointing it at Locke, shooting him over and over as we yell at her to stop.

"You killed them!" she yells, but her bullets have no effect on him. It's as if they dissipate into thin air before they meet his skin.

"You might wanna save your bullets," Locke says, walking past her and over to Jack. "So it's you."

"Yeah. It's me."

"Jacob being who he is, I expected to be a little more surprised. You're sort of the obvious choice, don't you think?"

"He didn't choose me. I volunteered."

"I assume you're here to stop me."

"I can't stop you. In fact, I uh, wanna go with you." At this, Sawyer and I exchange a look. I thought we were supposed to stop him.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Locke says. "I think you're a little confused about what I came here to do."

"No I'm not. No, you're going to the far side of the bamboo forest. To the place that I've sworn that I'll protect. And then you think you're gonna destroy the Island."

"I think?" Locke asks, surprised.

"That's right," Jack says, smiling. "Because that's not what's gonna happen."

"Then what's gonna happen, Jack?"

"I'm gonna kill you."

And I smile at Jack, because, for the first time since we got back, he's found his gumption.

"How do you plan to do that?" Locke asks.

"That's a surprise."

"Okay. Then let's get on with it."

* * *

We make the trek, along with Ben and Locke to the bamboo forest. "Something you wanna share with the rest of us, Doc?" Sawyer asks Jack as soon as Locke gets far enough ahead.

"What's that?" Jack asks.

"You said you were gonna kill Locke. What's your surprise?"

"Desmond," he says, nodding to Des's back.

"How's that gonna work?"

"I'm not sure yet. I can't believe Jacob would have brought him all the way back to this Island just so Locke could make him destroy it."

"So, Desmond is bait?" I ask.

"No. I think he's a weapon."

"That's a hell of a long con, Doc," Sawyer says.

Ahead of us, at the base of the bamboo, Locke takes off his pack. "Jack, Desmond. It should just be the three of us from here on."

Jack agrees, walking up to join them. "Jack," Hurley calls. "I believe in you, dude."

* * *

Sitting in the tick of the bamboo, a noise sounds. "Linus, are you there?" Miles's voice asks.

I turn towards Ben. "What the hell is that?"

Ben ignores me, pulling a walkie-talkie out of his pocket. "Miles, where are you?"

"We just got to Hydra Island. We're on our way to the plane."

"Miles, listen to me," Ben says. "Whatever you do, don't blow up that plane."

"We're not gonna blow it up, we're gonna fly it the hell off the Island. Alpert and I found Lapidus in the ocean. Just get over here now." There's a pause on the other end. "Claire?" Miles says.

Kate grabs the walkie from Ben. "Miles, it's Kate. Did you say Claire? Is she okay?"

"Put the gun down," Miles says, not answering her.

There are some gunshots. "Don't come any closer!" Claire's voice says, then the walkie cuts off.

"Miles? Miles, what happened? Miles, are you there?" Kate says into the walkie, but no one responds.

Then, the thunder that's been sounding all day sends its storm, the water drowning us. As if things couldn't get bad enough, the Island starts to shake. At first, it feels like an earthquake, but the shaking intensifies to something much worse. Trees start falling, rocks start cracking. I do my best to stand, but it's almost impossible to keep balance.

"Hugo, get out of the way!" I hear Ben cry as a particularly large tree falls towards them, pinning Ben to the ground.

All of us make our way to the trunk. "We're gonna get you out of here, all right?" Kate says.

After learning that Ben had been deceiving Locke and was really still working with Miles and Richard, I decide it was a very brave thing to do. He deserves to get off of this rock with us.

We work to free Ben, but it's no use. "It's too damn heavy," Sawyer yells over the thunder and rain. "There's no way we're gettin' it off him."

"We have to try," Hurley yells.

"One...two...three!" Kate guides and we all tug, before falling to the ground as the shaking starts again.

"What's happening?" I yell.

"I'll tell you what's happening!" Sawyer yells. "Locke was right! This Island's goin' down!"

"Linus, come in! Linus, come in!" The walkie sounds, Miles's vice coming through. It's on the ground, miraculously uncrushed. "Linus, come in! Come in!"

"Miles. Is that you?" Kate says, grabbing it.

"Yeah. What the hell is happening?"

"Are you with Claire?" Kate asks.

"She's here, but she doesn't want to come with us."

"Come with you where?"

"Lapidus is working on the plane right now. Then we're taking off... Hey, how much longer 'til we get this thing in the air?"

Frank's voice comes through. "I still have to check the electrical and the hydraulics. Five hours, maybe six."

"You've got maybe one," Richard says.

"Get your asses over here!" Miles yells. "We're leaving in an hour!"

"Son of a bitch!" Sawyer yells in anger. "How the hell are we supposed to get over there?"

"I know how we can get there!" Ben says from under his stump. "Locke has a boat."

* * *

Kate grabbed the rifle and took off to where Ben said Desmond's old sailboat, _Elizabeth_ was docked. Right below where he took Sawyer and I to the cave.

By some miracle, the trunk trapping Ben shifts at the next earthquake and Sawyer, Hurley, and I manage to get it off of him.

The four of us follow Kate, Sawyer and I guiding the way to the ladders on the edge of the cliff.

When we get there, Kate is beside Jack, who lays on the ground, clutching his side. Locke is nowhere to be seen, but I can see _Elizabeth_ out in the ocean, struggling against the heavy waves.

"Hey! What the hell happened?" I yell at Jack and Kate over the rain.

"Locke's dead," Kate says, motioning with her head to the edge of the cliff. "It's over."

I jog to the edge and peek over. Locke's broken body lays at the edge, broken. Dead.

Then the ground starts to shake and I lose my balance, but Sawyer grabs me, pulling me back onto the cliff. "Sure don't feel like it's over," he says.

"Ben, how's the plane coming," I call up to him.

He pulls the walkie out of his pocket. "Lapidus?"

"Yeah?"

"Frank, how's it going over there? What's your timetable?"

"Don't bother me!"

Ben turns back to me. "Sounds like they're making progress."

The ground shakes again. "We gotta go now," Sawyer says.

"I don't understand," Kate says. "Locke's dead, why is this still happening?"

"Because whatever Desmond turned off," Jack says. "I need to turn it back on again. But if it doesn't work, if I don't get it done you all need to leave now. You need to get on that plane."

"You can come with us too, Jack," she says. "You don't have to do this."

"No I do have to do this."

"No, you don't! Let the Island sink, Jack."

"Kate," he says, still clutching his side. "I can't." He turns to me and Sawyer. "Can you two get that boat across the channel in time?"

"Yeah, I can manage," Sawyer says.

Jack stands and walks over to him, holding out the hand not clutching his side. "Good luck to you, James."

"Thanks, Doc...for everything."

Jack turns to me. "Tia…"

"Kate's right," I say, fighting back tears. I detest Jack, I really do. Pretty much always have. But everything he's done for this Island? And it's just going to let him die? It's not right. "You could just let the Island sink."

"You know I can't do that," he says, holding out his hand. "You've taught me so much. Thank you."

I grab his hand with both of mine. "Good-bye Jack."

"Tia," Ben calls behind me, tossing me the walkie. "If the Island's going down, I'm going down with it."

I catch and nod at him, letting him know that things are okay now.

"Hugo, you better get going," Jack says to him.

"Uh-uh, no way. You think I'm going down that?" Hurley says, pointing to the ladders Sawyer and I climbed a few days ago. "I'm with you, dude."

"Okay," Jack agrees. "Kate, you gotta go. Get Claire on that plane."

"Tell me I'm gonna see you again," she says. Jack shakes his head. She grabs his face and kisses him. "I love you," she says.

"I love you."

Jack, Hugo, and Ben turn and head back into the jungle as Kate turns to me, crying. I hand the walkie to Sawyer and hug her.

"Yo Chesty," Sawyer says into the walkie.

Richard answers. "Yeah?"

"We're on our way down to the sailboat then we're heading to you. Don't leave without us."

Frank's voice comes though. "We're getting off the ground while there's still ground to get off. So if you wanna go you better get your asses in gear."

"Lapidus!" Sawyer calls. "Lapidus! Son of a bitch."

"What now?" Kate asks.

Sawyer looks out to the sailboat. "We jump."

My eyes widen, looking at the distance of the fall. One bad shift of wind and we die.

"I'll see you at the boat," Kate says, running.

"Kate!" I call as she jumps into the ocean.

She resurfaces and I know the fall is possible. "How 'bout it, Brown Eyes?" Sawyer asks. "One last dive?"

I smile. And without giving myself time to think, I run to the edge, throwing myself off.

The smack of the water is rough, but nothing compared to the way the waves throw me around. I see Kate ahead of me and do my best to swim to the boat.

* * *

It took us about twenty minutes to swim to the boat, navigate to Hydra Island, and swim to it's shore. When we get out of the water, the rain has stopped. A familiar face is sitting in the sand, staring at the main Island. "Claire?!" Kate yells at her.

Behind us is a loud cracking. I turn and watch the cliff we jumped off of fall into the ocean. "Oh, that ain't good," Sawyer says.

"Claire! Are you okay?" Kate asks her.

Over the trees, I see the Ajirah plane. I can hear it's engine start. "Come on, we gotta go! Come on!" Sawyer says to Kate.

"Claire, come on please!" she says.

"I can't!" Claire yells.

"Why?"

"Look at me! This Island's made me crazy, I don't want Aaron to see me like this. I don't even know how to be a mother anymore."

"Listen to me, none of us do. Not at first. But you're not alone. Let me help you," Claire concedes, standing. "Come on, let's go."

We race to the plane, whose engines get louder and louder. We make it to the front window and I can see Frank smiling at us.

Everything is a blur as Richard and Miles help us onto the plane. Frank yells to buckle a seatbelt as I fling myself into a passenger seat, Sawyer landing beside me. I grab his hand as Frank starts the engine again. We start takeoff, rolling down the runway. I squeeze Sawyer's hand and he squeezes back when…

The plane takes off sending us into the sky. Below us, the Island gets smaller and smaller before I catch my last glimpse of it forever.


	16. The End: Part 2

Walking into the church, everything felt so right. Everyone who shaped me into the person I died as.

Desmond Hume: The man who didn't follow the rules. The man who brought everyone together again, one last time.

Penny Widmore: The woman who saved me and brought me back to my family. The woman, despite having Charles as a father, she grew to become an amazing mother and wife.

Benjamin Linus: He isn't in here with us. He says he's not ready to move on. But I know he deserves to be here just as much as the rest of us.

Hugo Reyes: The one who stayed behind, who protected the Island when all of us were finally ready to leave.

Libby Smith: She gave me the money to buy my ticket on that plane. Without her I wouldn't have these people. I wouldn't have this man beside me who I love so much.

James Ford: A man I had initially detested, grew to be one of the most important people in my life. My confidante and my friend.

Juliet Burke: Someone I never thought I could trust, but eventually risked everything to make sure she was safe.

Charlie Pace: A one-hit-wonder I treated like a brother. I loved him like a brother. And when he was gone, I mourned him like the loss of a brother.

Claire and Aaron Littleton: There are few people on the Island I treasure more than Claire. An amazing mother, with an ability to love greater than anyone I knew. Her love for her son will forever inspire me.

Jin and Sun Kwon: Three year of my life I worked to bring them back together, and as soon as I had succeeded, they were gone from me forever. Now I get to see them, together forever and I know I've done that job.

Rose and Bernard Nadler: Two people who love each other so much. I had always admired their love and wished it for myself, and now I have that.

Sayid Jarrah: My best friend. We mourned our every loss together and celebrated our victories. We were more than friends, we were partners. Despite everything our relationship went through, in the end, him leaving me was almost unbearable. And now I have him back.

Shannon Rutherford: My sister. The only one who knew what it was like to lose Boone. The second toughest death on the Island, I finally have my sister back.

Kate Austen: Our relationship went through so many cycles, but in the end, we were forever bonded by what we experienced together on the Island.

Jack Shephard: A man I hardly ever trusted or held faith in, he proved to be one of the bravest of the group, sacrificing everything for the Island and for us.

And then were was Boone Carlyle. How can someone love a person so much in their life? When I got off the Island, I tried to find love again, but nothing was ever the same. No one ever filled that void he created inside me when we met. I knew him for exactly forty-one days, but the time didn't matter. It was the love. The purist kind of love that only comes from one person.

The love we have for each other.

And as Christian walks towards the door, I turn my face and look at Boone one last time and see the love in his blue eyes. I look forward to the light…

And I move on.

**LOST**


	17. Author's Note

Thank you thank you thank you for reading this entire story. If you can't already tell, LOST is and extreamly big part of my life. The show first aired when I was nine years old and from the Pilot, I watched the entire show with my mom, all up until my sophomore year of high school. These characters and this story mean so much to me and to add my own character is so personally rewarding. There's so much I would love to say to Damon and Carlton and JJ, but, alas, the odds of ever meeting them are slim to none. So I'll say it here. I did my best to hold onto all of the mythology of the show and stick to the plot, but most of all, I worked to keep the characters the same. Characters are the reason we all love shows, after all.

I first invented this concept of coming up with OCs in stories while watching the third season of LOST. I can't believe I remember this, but the first character I ever fit into the show was a female doctor named Ashton. I later started doing this for pretty much every show and movie I watched. I would love to write fanfics based on these characters at a later date, but being at an actual university for the first time (I transferred in January 2015) has left this a daunting task.

That being said, I have an idea for a short epilogue story about Tia and the others who made it off the Island with her. As I said before, I tried my best to keep with the mythology of the show and not stray from Damon and Carlton's style, but if you would like to know what she got up to, I would be happy to tell you. Just let me know. If enough people want to read it, I'll post an epilogue book.

Again, thank you for reading. Thank you for following Tia's journey. The fact that anyone has taken the time to read this is amazing. After all, that's what author's want.

For you to read our stories.


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